Henry L. Bowden, Jr. is a native of Atlanta and a graduate of The Westminster Schools. Mr. Bowden received his B.A. with Honors from the University of Virginia in 1971 and his J.D. with Distinction from Emory University School of Law in 1974. Mr. Bowden earned memberships in Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Order of the Coif during his college and law school careers. He also was elected Articles Editor of the Emory Law Journal. After law school, he clerked on the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, for the Honorable Griffin B. Bell. Mr. Bowden joined King & Spalding in 1975, making partner in 1982. In June of 1995, Mr. Bowden founded The Bowden Law Firm
Throughout his career, Mr. Bowden’s areas of concentration have included estate planning and administration, charitable gift planning, and the representation of tax-exempt organizations. He is experienced in dealing with complex transfer of wealth issues, many of which involve unique family enterprises. Mr. Bowden has developed expertise in helping estate beneficiaries resolve, outside of Court, disputed wealth transfer issues.
Mr. Bowden was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel in 1986 and served as State Chair of the College in Georgia for five years. He served as chair of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia in 1990-91 and as president of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council in 1995-96. From 1982-87, he was an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law, teaching estate and gift taxation in the Masters in Taxation program. In 2021, Mr. Bowden served as Chair of the Board of Bar Examiners for the State of Georgia, having been appointed to the Board by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2016.
Emory University School of Law honored Mr. Bowden as an Outstanding Alumnus in 2005. In 2006, the Georgia Planned Giving Council awarded Mr. Bowden the “Greater Good Award” for exemplary service as a professional adviser on charitable giving techniques. Emory University awarded Mr. Bowden the 2009 “Emory Medal”, which is the highest honor bestowed by the University on one of its alumni.
Mr. Bowden served as a Trustee of the Emory University Board of Trustees from 1986-2020; he now continues his service as an Emeritus Trustee. Mr. Bowden is also a former Trustee of The Westminster Schools, a former member of the Board of Managers of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, and a former Trustee of Wesley Woods Senior Living, Inc.
Mr. Bowden is a lifelong member of Northside United Methodist Church, where he teaches Sunday School. He is past Chair of both the Board of the Atlanta Ballet, Inc. and the Board of Historic Oakland Foundation. Mr. Bowden chaired The Old War Horse Lawyers Club in 2018-19. Early in his career, Mr. Bowden served as President of the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers.
Mr. Bowden is married to the former Jeanne Johnson from Wilmington, North Carolina, who is an attorney with The Bowden Law Firm. He and Jeanne have two children: Caroline Bowden Stockdale, a graduate of both the University of Virginia and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Henry Bowden III, a graduate of both Emory University and Emory University School of Law, who also practices with The Bowden Law Firm. Jeanne and Henry are the proud grandparents of three grandchildren.
