After his uncle's sudden death in 1889, Francis I. Gowen formed a practice with James E. Hood and Charles E. Ingersoll.
The CO&G was heavily involved in both rail transportation and coal mining, in much the same fashion as the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad under Franklin Gowen's leadership a decade earlier.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway during this time period was controlled by a group of investors known as the Reid-Moore Syndicate.
[3][page needed] This group favored aggressive expansion into new territory, and in early 1902 the Rock Island was able to gain control of the CO&G, resulting in the resignation of Francis Gowen from the presidency in June 1902.
He remained with the Pennsylvania and continued to practice law, becoming General Counsel and vice-president for the railroad before retiring in the mid-1920s.