Bowen, John (1780-1827), founded the first settlement on Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), Australia, in 1803. Philip Gidley King, the governor of New South Wales, Australia, sent Bowen as the leader of a party of 49 convicts, settlers, and soldiers to Van Diemen’s Land to prevent a possible French settlement on the island. Bowen chose Risdon Cove on the River Derwent for his camp. But he was unable to control the hardened soldiers and convicts, and the settlement made little progress. In 1804, King replaced him with David Collins, who founded the city of Hobart.
Bowen was born in Ilfracombe, England. He landed in Sydney in 1803. He died on Oct. 20, 1827.
