Francis C. Bowden was born on December 26, 1903, in Roslyn, Washington.
He worked for drug stores in Cordova and Anchorage in the years that followed.
In 1946, Bowden was elected Mayor of Anchorage, beating incumbent Winfield Ervin Jr., who had been appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of John E. Manders two weeks before the election.
He served two terms, and promoted a $2.2 million bond offering to rehabilitate the city's aging public utilities.
Bowden died in April 1972 at Anchorage Community Hospital.