John Whittemore Gowen (September 5, 1893 – September 14, 1967) was an American biologist and geneticist.

John Gowen
Born
John Whittemore Gowen

(1893-09-05)September 5, 1893
DiedSeptember 14, 1967(1967-09-14) (aged 74)
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Maine
Columbia University
Known forGene expression
Radiation biology
Spouse
Marie Helena Stadler
(m. 1917⁠–⁠1967)
ChildrenElaine Stadler Gowen
Helen Marie Gowen
Scientific career
FieldsBiology
Genetics
InstitutionsIowa State College
Colorado State University
Thesis A Biometrical Study of Crossing Over: On the Mechanism of Crossing Over in the Third Chromosome of Drosophila Melanogaster  (1917)
Doctoral advisorsThomas Hunt Morgan
Edmund Beecher Wilson
Other academic advisorsRaymond Pearl
Doctoral studentsC. Clark Cockerham

Biography

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Gowen was born in Evinston, Florida, on September 5, 1893, to Charles Hayes and Gertrude Whittemore Gowen. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Maine in 1914 and 1915, respectively.[1] His advisor for his master's degree was Raymond Pearl.[2] In 1917, he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University,[1] where his advisors were Edmund Beecher Wilson and Thomas Hunt Morgan.[2] Gowen then worked as a biologist at the Maine Agricultural Experimental Station until 1926, when he joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research as a research associate.[1]

In 1937, Gowen joined the faculty of Iowa State College as a professor of genetics. He was head of the Department of Genetics there from 1948 to 1959. In 1964, he retired from Iowa State to become Professor of radiation biology and genetics at Colorado State University, a position he held until his death.[1][2]

Gowen's research focused on gene expression and the genetics of disease resistance, as well as the biological effects of exposure to radiation. He was a member of the Biometric Society, the American Genetic Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as president of the Genetics Society of America in 1952.[1]

Gowen married Marie Helena Stadler on September 10, 1917. They had two children: Elaine Stadler and Helen Marie. Gowen died on September 14, 1967, in Fort Collins, Colorado.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "John Gowen Papers". Iowa State University Library Special Collections Department. Iowa State University. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  2. ^ a b c Zelle, M. R. (1970). "Dr. John W. Gowen (1893-1967)". Radiation Research. 42 (2): 425–427. JSTOR 3572810. PMID 4909927.
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