Dowling was born in Atkinson County, Georgia. He received a bachelor's degree from Mercer University in 1925. In 1932 he became the vice consul in Norway. He worked his way through various foreign postings and postings at the State Department before becoming United States Ambassador to South Korea in 1956. Picked by President Dwight Eisenhower to become Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, he was confirmed by the Senate, but diverted to Bonn, where he served as United States Ambassador to West Germany up to and through the Berlin Crisis of 1961.