Hugh H. Bownes

Hugh Henry Bownes (March 10, 1920 – November 5, 2003) was a long-serving federal judge in the United States, serving as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, after previously serving as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

Hugh Henry Bownes
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
In office January 1, 1990 – November 5, 2003
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
In office October 11, 1977 – January 1, 1990
Appointed by	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Edward McEntee
Succeeded by	David Souter
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
In office July 25, 1968 – October 31, 1977
Appointed by	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Aloysius Joseph Connor
Succeeded by	Shane Devine
Personal details
Born	Hugh Henry Bownes February 28, 1920 New York City, New York
Died	November 5, 2003 (aged 83) New Haven, Connecticut
Education	Columbia University (BA) Columbia Law School (LLB)

Education and career

Born in New York City, New York, Bownes graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941, and after serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, graduated from Columbia Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1948. Bownes then moved to New Hampshire, where he practiced law for more than 15 years. He served as a city council member and then as mayor of Laconia, New Hampshire. In 1966, he was selected as a member of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, on which he served for two years.[1]

Military service

Bownes participated in the invasion of Guam. Wounded by mortar fire, he developed gangrene and nearly died. For his service, he received the Silver Star and Purple Heart.[2]

Federal judicial service

Bownes was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 17, 1968, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire vacated by Judge Aloysius Joseph Connor. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 25, 1968, and received commission on July 25, 1968. His service terminated on October 31, 1977, due to elevation to the First Circuit.[1]

Bownes was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on September 19, 1977, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated by Judge Edward McEntee. He was confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 1977, and received commission on October 11, 1977. He assumed senior status on January 1, 1990. His service terminated on November 5, 2003, due to his death from pneumonia in New Haven, Connecticut.[1] He had suffered a stroke in September of that year.[2]

References

1. Hugh Henry Bownes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
2. Zezima, Katie (8 November 2003). "Hugh H. Bownes, 83, Judge Who Ruled for Civil Liberties" – via NYTimes.com.

Sources

• Hugh Henry Bownes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Columbia College Obituary (see under "1941")
• New Hampshire Bar Association Obituary