Kenny Bowen
| Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, USA | |
|
In office 1972–1980 |
|
| Preceded by | J. Rayburn "Ray" Bertrand |
| Succeeded by | William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr. |
|
In office 1992–1996 |
|
| Preceded by | William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Walter Comeaux |
| President of the Louisiana Municipal Association | |
|
In office 1977–1978 |
|
| Preceded by | Edwin G. Preis |
| Succeeded by | Carroll E. Lanier |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 9, 1926 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | May 2, 2002 (aged 76) |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Ruth Butcher Bowen (divorced); Ann Humphries Bowen |
| Children | 15 children by first wife, including Kenneth "Kip" Bowen, Jr., and Kamille Bowen (both deceased), and son Kris Bowen; 40 grandchildren |
| Profession | Advertising executive; former music educator |
| Religion | Episcopal |
| Bowen's three non-consecutive terms as mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, are remembered for both progress and controversy. | |
Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr. (February 9, 1926 – May 2, 2002) was a three-term Democratic mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, the fourth largest city in the state, according to the 2000 census. His tenure, which some assessed as distinguished and others as a failure, extended from 1972–1980 and again from 1992-1996.
Bowen was Lafayette's first and last mayor under the city's mayor-council form of government, which was used for the 24 years between 1972 and 1996. He was elected mayor with 62 percent of the vote in the 1972 Democratic primary, in which he defeated three opponents, and he was elected again in 1976 and 1992. When Bowen left office in 1996, the City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish combined their governments, much as Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish had done years earlier. The mayor then became the "president" of the combined government.
Bowen was born in New Orleans to Joseph F. Bowen and the former Hazel McNulty. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. On his discharge in November 1945, he relocated to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1948. He later received a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in New York City. He taught in the Lafayette Parish school system for eleven years and was known for his direction of choral organizations throughout his life. His passion for music, for instance, led him in the 1980s to organize a community singing group called the Soundwaves.
From 1955-1961, Bowen was executive vice president of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. In 1961, with a large family to support, he joined Robert Angers, then publisher of the Franklin Banner-Tribune of Franklin in St. Mary Parish in the opening of their own advertising firm, Angers, Bowen and Associates. Angers sold out his interest in the company to Bowen in 1962.
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Wikipedia