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Otis Bowen | |
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| 16thUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| In office December 13, 1985 – January 20, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Margaret Heckler |
| Succeeded by | Louis W. Sullivan |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office July 10, 1979 – August 5, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Carroll |
| Succeeded by | George Busbee |
| 44thGovernor of Indiana | |
| In office January 8, 1973 – January 12, 1981 | |
| Lieutenant | Robert Orr |
| Preceded by | Edgar Whitcomb |
| Succeeded by | Robert Orr |
| Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives | |
| In office November 9, 1966 – November 8, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Clay Bodine[1] |
| Succeeded by | Kermit Owen Burrous |
| Member of theIndiana House of Representatives | |
| In office November 9, 1960 – November 8, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Forest Nelson McLaughlin |
| Succeeded by | James Lowell Drews |
| Constituency | 8th district |
| In office November 7, 1956 – November 5, 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Raymonde Alexis Clarke[1] |
| Succeeded by | Forest Nelson McLaughlin |
| Constituency | Marshall County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Otis Ray Bowen (1918-02-26)February 26, 1918 Fulton County, Indiana, US |
| Died | May 4, 2013(2013-05-04) (aged 95) Donaldson, Indiana, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Indiana University, Bloomington(BA) Indiana University, Indianapolis(MD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Otis Ray Bowen (February 26, 1918 – May 4, 2013) was an American politician and physician who served as the44th Governor of Indiana from 1973 to 1981 and asSecretary of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of PresidentRonald Reagan from 1985 to 1989.
Bowen was born nearRochester, Indiana, to Vernie Bowen and Pearl Irene Wright. His father's side of the family was deeply religious and originally came fromOhio. Vernie Bowen graduated fromValparaiso University and was a teacher for 43 years. Vernie Bowen also owned a hardware store inLeiters Ford, was a trustee forAubbeenaubbee Township, president of the Woodlawn Hospital Board of Trustees, and president of the Leiters Ford Merchants Association. His father was aScottish RiteFreemason and a member of theIndependent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1915, Vernie Bowen married Pearl Irene Wright, whose family was also from Ohio and involved with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Otis Bowen is a distant relative ofGeorge H. W. Bush through two brothers who immigrated toNew England fromSomerset, England.
Bowen received his elementary and high school education from local schools and went on to graduate fromIndiana University Bloomington with an A.B. in 1939 and theIndiana University School of Medicine with anM.D. in 1942. At IU, he became a member of theDelta Chi fraternity as well as thePhi Beta Pi medical fraternity.[2] He holds 30 honorary degrees including those from schools in his home state such asIndiana University, theUniversity of Notre Dame,Ball State University,Valparaiso University, andAnderson University. In addition to an honorary degree,Bethel College also named their campus library in his honor.
Bowen married Elizabeth Anne Steinmann in 1939, who died shortly before his term as Indiana Governor expired in 1981. They had four children; Rick, Judy, Tim, and Rob. Following Elizabeth's death, he married Rose May Hochstetler in September 1981, a marriage which lasted until Rose's death in 1991. From 1992 until his death in 2013, he was married to his third wife, Carol Hahn.
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Bowen began his career as an intern at Memorial Hospital inSouth Bend, Indiana, in 1942. From 1943 to 1946 he served in theMedical Corps of theUnited States Army, rising from the rank of 1st lieutenant to captain. On his return fromWorld War II, he set up his own medical practice in his hometown ofBremen, Indiana, which he discontinued in 1972. As a physician, he was instrumental in helping establish a community hospital for Bremen in 1956. During this time, he also was a member of staff for various hospitals inIndiana and served ascoroner forMarshall County, Indiana. In 1981, he took up the post of clinical professor of family medicine atIndiana University.
During his medical and teaching career, Bowen also got intoRepublican Party politics, serving as a member of theIndiana House of Representatives from 1956 to 1958 and again from 1960 to 1972. He was speaker of the house from 1967 to 1972, vice chairman of the legislative council from 1967 to 1968, and chairman until 1972. After his first unsuccessful attempt in the Republican primary in1968, he was electedGovernor of Indiana in1972 and was re-elected for a second term in1976, making him the first Governor to serve for eight consecutive years in Indiana since 1851. His campaign slogan, featured in huge letters on billboards, was "Otis Bowen. He Hears You". His tenure in Indiana's highest public office was marked by a major tax restructuring reducing reliance on property taxes, major improvements to state park facilities, development of a statewide emergency medical services system, and adoption of a medical malpractice law that was destined to become a national model. From 1978 to 1985, he also served on the board of trustees for Valparaiso University. Simultaneously, Bowen served as chairman of theRepublican Governors Association, theMidwestern Governors Association, and theNational Governors Association. In 1980, he served as President of theCouncil of State Governments.
Bowen continued teaching at Indiana University until he was appointed asSecretary of Health and Human Services by PresidentRonald Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a vote of 93 to 2, making him the first medical doctor to serve in this position.
At the time of his appointment, criticism was rising that the Reagan Administration was not doing enough to respond to AIDS. Although not as prominent in his advocacy for AIDS issues as then-Surgeon GeneralC. Everett Koop, Bowen did offer explicit warnings about the threats posed by the disease, including its risk to heterosexuals. By 1987, he warned that the threat posed by AIDS could rival deadly health disasters like theBlack Death,smallpox, andtyphoid if more was not done to combat the threat posed by the disease. The following year, after new studies were released showing that the spread of the disease was slowing within many population groups, he commented that "We do not expect any explosion into the heterosexual population."[3]
It is said that as Secretary of Health and Human Services, he always had a prescription pad handy, recommending remedies to treat minor ailments for both colleagues and members of the press. He served in that position until 1989, when he retired to his home in Bremen, Indiana.
Bowen served on a number of committees and conferences, including the Education Commission of the States, and the President's Commission on Federalism. He was the chairman of the Paperwork Commission, Nursing Study Commission, and Medicare Study Commission. He also received various awards, including the George F. Hixson award fromKiwanis International. Bowen was aLutheran and member of theAmerican Medical Association, theAmerican Legion,Veterans of Foreign Wars,Alpha Omega Alpha,Phi Beta Pi,Delta Chi, andKiwanis. Bowen was also a fellow of theNational Academy of Public Administration.
TheBowen Center for Public Affairs[usurped] was founded byBall State University in honor of Bowen. He attended the Bowen Institute on Political Participation every year and provided a congratulatory address to the graduates of this two-day seminar.
The Otis R. Bowen Museum, located on the campus ofBethel College, houses memorabilia and artifacts related to Dr. Otis Bowen's years as Governor of Indiana and Secretary of Health and Human Services. It also houses a copy of theBust of Otis Bowen while the original is located in theIndiana Statehouse.
Bowen died May 4, 2013, at a nursing home inDonaldson, Indiana. He was 95.[4]
| Indiana House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Raymonde Alexis Clarke | Member of theIndiana House of Representatives fromMarshall County 1956–1958 | Succeeded by Forest Nelson McLaughlin |
| Preceded by Forest Nelson McLaughlin | Member of theIndiana House of Representatives from the 8th district 1960–1972 | Succeeded by James Lowell Drews |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Indiana 1972,1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Governors Association 1978–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Richard Clay Bodine | Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives 1966–1972 | Succeeded by Kermit Owen Burrous |
| Preceded by | Governor of Indiana 1973–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1979–1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Health and Human Services 1985–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Health, education, and welfare |   | |
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| Health and human services | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
