Francis Bowen

author

Francis Bowen

1811–1890

A longtime Harvard professor and influential editor, this 19th-century American thinker wrote widely on philosophy, political economy, and public questions. His work helped bring academic debate to a broader reading public.

1 Audiobook

A Theory of Creation: A Review of 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'

A Theory of Creation: A Review of 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'

by Francis Bowen

About the author

Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1811, Francis Bowen became known as an American philosopher, writer, and educator. He graduated from Harvard in 1833, later returned to teach there, and went on to hold a long career at the university.

Bowen also played an important role in literary and intellectual life as editor of the North American Review. Alongside his teaching, he wrote on philosophy, economics, and politics, building a reputation as a clear and serious commentator on the big arguments of his day.

He died in 1890, but his name remains closely tied to 19th-century Harvard and to the development of American academic writing in moral philosophy and political economy.