Arnold Wilson Cowen (December 20, 1905 – October 28, 2007) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has special appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of cases in the U.S. federa ...

and previously was the chief judge of the

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

Education and career

Born on December 20, 1905, in Norse,

Bosque County Bosque County ( ) is a county located in the greater Waco area. The county sits just northwest of Waco in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,235. Its county seat is Meridian, while Clifton is the largest c ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Cowen received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1928 from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Texas at Austin, a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas. According to Texas Law’s American Bar ...

. He entered private practice in Dalhart, Texas from 1928 to 1934. He served as a Judge of the

Dallam County Dallam County is the north-westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 7,115. Its county seat is Dalhart. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1891. It is named for James Wilmer ...

, Texas Court from 1935 to 1938. He served with the

Farm Security Administration The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was a New Deal agency created in 1937 to combat rural poverty during the Great Depression in the United States. It succeeded the Resettlement Administration (1935–1937). The FSA is famous for its small but ...

of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

from 1938 to 1942, serving as Texas State Director from 1938 to 1939, Associate Division Director from 1939 to 1940, and Region 12 Director from 1940 to 1942. He served as Assistant Administrator of the

War Food Administration The War Food Administration was a United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essential civilian needs during World War II. ...

from 1943 to 1945. He served as Special Assistant to the

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...

in 1945.

Federal judicial service

Cowen served as a Trial Judge of the United States Court of Claims from 1942 to 1943, and from 1945 to 1964. He served as Chief of the Trial Division of the United States Court of Claims from 1959 to 1964. Cowen was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

on June 16, 1964, to the Chief Judge seat of the

vacated by Chief Judge

John Marvin Jones John Marvin Jones (February 26, 1882 – March 4, 1976) was a United States representative from Texas and a Judge of the United States Court of Claims. Education and career Born on February 26, 1882, in Valley View, Cooke County, Texas, Jone ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on July 2, 1964, and received his commission on July 8, 1964. He served as a member of the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial co ...

from 1964 to 1976. He assumed senior status on March 1, 1977. He was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on October 1, 1982, by 96 Stat. 25. His service terminated on October 28, 2007, due to his death in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

References

Bibliography and sources

* * * *
Surviving the Dustbowl
'' at PBS's website, accessed on 3/12/2007. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowen, Arnold Wilson 1905 births 2007 deaths American men centenarians Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Texas state court judges Judges of the United States Court of Claims United States federal judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century Texas state court judges People from Bosque County, Texas