Isaac C. Fowler Explained

Office:34th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
Predecessor:Benjamin W. Lacy
Successor:Charles E. Stuart
Term Start:December 7, 1881
Term End:December 5, 1883
Office2:Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from Washington County
Term Start2:December 7, 1881
Term End2:December 5, 1883
Preceded2:David F. Bailey
Succeeded2:Daniel Trigg
Term Start3:December 1, 1875
Term End3:December 3, 1879
Preceded3:Seldon Longley
Succeeded3:David F. Bailey
Term Start4:1871
Term End4:1875
Preceded4:?
Succeeded4:?
Party:Republican (1884–1905)
Readjuster (1878–1884)
Conservative (1870–1878)
Birth Name:Isaac Chapman Fowler
Birth Date:2 September 1831
Birth Place:Jeffersonville, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Abingdon, Virginia, U.S.
Education:Emory and Henry College
Branch:Confederate States Army
Battles:American Civil War

Isaac Chapman Fowler (September 2, 1831, Jeffersonville, Virginia[1] – April 29, 1905) was a Virginia politician. He served as mayor of Bristol, Virginia, from 1871 to 1875,[2] represented Washington County in the Virginia House of Delegates, and served as that body's Speaker from 1881 until 1882 as a member of the Readjuster Party.[3]

Early life and family life

Isaac Fowler was born to Thomas and Priscilla Fowler on September 23, 1831, in Tazewell County, Virginia. He attended Emory and Henry College. He married Kezia McDonald Chapman on December 4, 1854. During the Civil War, he worked for the Commissary Department of the Confederate States under John Breckenridge. Fowler, along with his brother, Elbert, purchased the Bristol News from A.C. Smith in 1864. He became the paper editor until February, 1884.[2]

Political career

Fowler's first delve into politics came when he served as Mayor of Bristol, Virginia, from 1871 to 1875. After his term as mayor was up, he won his first stint in the Virginia General Assembly where he served until 1879. During the 1877-79 General Assembly meeting, he served as Chairman of the Virginia House of Delegates Schools and Colleges Committee.[4] He won his second stint in 1881 and was voted Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates during the 1881-82 General Assembly Meeting. As speaker, he oversaw legislation enacted that repealed the state's poll tax as a prerequisite to voting and liberalized appropriations for the state's public school system, which included the creation of Virginia State University, passage of the ReAdjusters debt bill, and reform of tax laws.[5] After his term as speaker was up, he served as Clerk of the U. S. District Court in Abingdon, until shortly before he died in 1904.[6]

Death and legacy

Fowler died on April 6, 1904. He is buried at East Hill Cemetery in Bristol, Virginia.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brock, Robert Alonzo. History of Virginia from Settlement of Jamestown to Close of the Civil War. 1888. H.H. Hardesty. 721. en.
  2. Web site: IC Fowler House | Bristol Historical Association | Bristol, TN .
  3. Book: Congressional Serial Set. 1884. U.S. Government Printing Office. 968. en.
  4. https://history.house.virginia.gov/sessions/160
  5. https://archive.org/details/williammahoneofv00blak/page/n485/mode/1up Pg.220
  6. https://history.house.virginia.gov/members/6208