Bownes was nominated by President
Lyndon B. Johnson on July 17, 1968, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire vacated by Judge
Aloysius Joseph Connor. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on July 25, 1968, and received commission on July 25, 1968. His service terminated on October 31, 1977, due to elevation to the First Circuit. Bownes was nominated by President
Jimmy Carter on September 19, 1977, to a seat on the
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated by Judge
Edward McEntee. He was confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 1977, and received commission on October 11, 1977. He assumed
senior status on January 1, 1990. His service terminated on November 5, 2003, due to his death from
pneumonia in
New Haven,
Connecticut. He had suffered a
stroke in September of that year. ==References==