John Cotten Towler Sr. (July 5, 1939 – December 16, 2015) was an American Democratic politician, lawyer, screenwriter and actor.

Early and family life

Born in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

, to the former Jane Cotten Nolan and her career

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer husband, William Albert Towler Jr., the family moved several times during his childhood. Towler became a star athlete and disc jockey before he graduated from high school in

South Boston, Virginia South Boston, formerly Boyd's Ferry, is a town in Halifax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 8,142 at the 2010 census, down from 8,491 at the 2000 census. It is the most populous town in Halifax County. History On ...

. He then studied and joined the R.O.T.C. at

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

. After graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served in the Korean War. Using his GI Bill benefits, Towler received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, after also clerking for Virginia Senator William Spong. Towler married his first wife, Elizabeth Davis, in 1965, and they had three sons (John Jr., Grayson and Everett) before her death in an automobile accident. Towler remarried, to Melissa Beam, in 1974, who would survive him.

Career

After admission to the Virginia bar, Towler practiced law in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

and began his lifelong involvement with the Democratic Party. In 1971, Towler won election to 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 ...

, representing the multi-member 7th district alongside Republican Ray Garland, but only served one term, since fellow Democrat Vic Thomas was the top vote-getter in 1973, and thus served alongside Garland and several other politicians in what became a long legislative career. In 1979, Towler and his wife moved to

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

where Towler wrote scripts for several television shows, and also acted in some. In 1989, Towler and his wife moved back east to

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Bodie Island within the state's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 United States census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk. Hi ...

Death and legacy

Towler died in

Barco, North Carolina Barco is an unincorporated community in Currituck County, North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the ...

after suffering a fall.Virginia Department of Elections-database
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Notes

1939 births 2015 deaths Politicians from Charlottesville, Virginia Washington and Lee University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Male actors from Virginia Writers from Charlottesville, Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Military personnel from Virginia Accidental deaths in North Carolina 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-delegate-stub