Isaac Chapman Fowler (September 2, 1831, Jeffersonville, Virginia – April 29, 1905) was a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

politician. He served as mayor of

Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the Twin cities (geographical proxi ...

, from 1871 to 1875, represented Washington County in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, and served as that body's Speaker from 1881 until 1882 as a member of the

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

Virginia State Capitol complex - list of former Speakers of the House of Delegates

Early life and family life

Isaac Fowler was born to Thomas and Priscilla Fowler on September 23, 1831, in

Tazewell County, Virginia Tazewell County () is a county located in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell. Tazewell County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropoli ...

. He attended

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

. 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 C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

. Fowler, along with his brother, Elbert, purchased the ''Bristol News'' from A. C. Smith in 1864. He became the paper editor until February 1884.

Political career

Fowler's first delve into politics came when he served as Mayor of

, from 1871 to 1875. After his term as mayor was up, he won his first stint in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

where he served until 1879. During the 1877–1879 General Assembly meeting, he served as Chairman of the Virginia House of Delegates Schools and Colleges Committee. He won his second stint in 1881 and was voted Speaker of the

during the 1881–1882 General Assembly meeting. As speaker, he oversaw legislation enacted that repealed the state's

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

as a prerequisite to voting and liberalized appropriations for the state's public school system, which included the creation of

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...

, passage of the ReAdjusters debt bill, and reform of tax laws. 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.

Death and legacy

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

References

1831 births 1904 deaths Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Washington County, Virginia Readjuster Party politicians People from Tazewell, Virginia 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-delegate-stub