Samuel Fowler (October 30, 1779 – February 20, 1844) was a doctor, state legislator, and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from northwestern New Jersey. As the owner of zinc and iron mines and an iron works at

Franklin, New Jersey Franklin is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,912, a decrease of 133 (−2.6%) from the 2010 United ...

, he became a noted mineralogist who discovered several varieties of rare minerals (chiefly various ores of

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

Early life and education

Fowler was born in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...

, on October 30, 1779. He attended the Montgomery Academy and subsequently graduated from Pennsylvania Medical College.

Career

Fowler began to practice medicine in 1800 in

Hamburg, New Jersey Hamburg is a borough in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,266, a decrease of 11 (−0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,277, which in turn reflected an increa ...

, when he was 21 years old. He moved to the present site of

, in 1810. It is generally accepted that Fowler was responsible for naming the town Franklin, although it is uncertain whether he named it after

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

or his son,

William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged extra-marital son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial G ...

. After zinc ore was found in the area, Fowler made a serious effort to develop it.

Political career

In 1827, Fowler became a member of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776. It replaced the New Jersey Provincial Council under colonial rule and was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the ...

(precursor to the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

). He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to House of Representatives, serving in the Twenty-third and

Twenty-fourth United States Congress The 24th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1835, ...

es (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837).

Death and burial

Fowler died on February 20, 1844, in Franklin, New Jersey and was interred in the North Church Cemetery in

Hardyston Township, New Jersey Hardyston Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,125, a decrease of 88 (−1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,213, which in turn reflec ...

Legacy

Fowler was the father of Colonel Samuel Fowler (1818–1863), an officer with the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and grandfather of

Samuel Fowler (1851–1919) Samuel Fowler (March 22, 1851, in Port Jervis, New York – March 17, 1919, in Newark, New Jersey) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the U.S. representative for two terms ...

, who served in the House of Representatives from 1889 to 1893.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Samuel 1779 births 1844 deaths American mineralogists Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council People from Franklin, New Jersey Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives