About the Bowen Research Center
Otis R. Bowen, M.D.

Otis R. Bowen, M.D. was born in Fulton County, Indiana. He remained in Indiana and later received his undergraduate and medical degree from Indiana University. During WW II, Dr. Bowen served in the Army Medical Corp and was with the first wave of allied troops in the invasion of Okinawa in 1945. After the war he returned home to Bremen, Indiana where he served as a Family Physician for 20 years.

In 1956, Dr. Bowen was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He lost his race for re-election in 1958, but was then elected to seven consecutive terms beginning in 1960. In 1967, he was elected as Speaker of the House and served in this capacity through four legislative sessions.

Following his legislative career, Dr. Bowen was elected Governor of the State of Indiana in 1972. He was the first Indiana Governor to serve two four-year consecutive terms. His administration was marked by the development of the Statewide Emergency Medical System and adoption of the medical malpractice law which thirty years later still serves as a model for other states.

At the end of his term as Governor, Dr. Bowen came to the Indiana University School of Medicine to direct undergraduate family practice education in the Department of Family Medicine. He received a call in 1985 from President Ronald Reagan asking him to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He served in Reagan’s Cabinet until January 1989. He now lives in retirement in Bremen with his wife Carol.

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