Douglas Fowler
Encyclopedia
Wiley Douglas Fowler, Sr. (November 17, 1906–January 29, 1980), was a local politician
from rural
Red River Parish in north Louisiana
, a loyal supporter of Governor Earl Kemp Long, and his state's chief elections officer from 1959, until declining health forced his retirement, effective December 31, 1979. Fowler laid the groundwork for a small-scale family political dynasty in Louisiana. Jerry Marston Fowler
(1940-2009) succeeded his father as elections commissioner and served until a scandal caused his own defeat, effective in 2000. And one of Fowler's two brothers, Hendrix Marion "Mutt" Fowler, Sr., went into local politics, served in the Louisiana House of Representatives
for fourteen years and ended his public career, also amid a scandal, as the executive director of the Sabine River Authority in Many
.
Fowler was a native of Coushatta
, the Red River Parish seat. He was elected three times as the parish clerk of court: 1940, 1944, and 1948. He was mayor
of Coushatta from 1952-1954. "Mutt" Fowler also later served as mayor of their community.
intraparty gubernatorial ticket. The incumbent L.B. Baynard in turn lost the runoff election to Allison Kolb
, the choice of the successful candidate gor governor, Robert F. Kennon
of Minden
.
In 1956, Fowler, a particular favorite of Mrs. Blanche R. Long
, the governor's wife, ran again for state auditor but was defeated in the primary by William J. "Bill" Dodd (1909-1991), who had served as lieutenant governor
under Earl Long from 1948-1952. Also in that race was the incument Allison Kolb, who would later defect to the Republican Party
and run unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 1968. The Long faction was divided over whether to back Fowler or Dodd for auditor.
Thereafter, Long rewarded Fowler for his loyalty to the Long faction and named him the third appointed "custodian of voting machines." The legislature created the unusual position -- the only in the nation -- at Long's request as a result of a bitter dispute that the governor was having with Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr.
, whose office then handled elections duties. A political commentator, Alan Ehrenhalt, years later dubbed the "custodianship" as the "most ridiculous elective office in the history of state government."
(1908-1983) of Springhill
, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Webster and Bossier parishes. Fowler's title was changed to "custodian" in 1959, and he ran for the position in the 1959-1960 Democratic primaries. Fowler said that he deserved the appointment because "I worked hard enough for it, and no one deserved it more," and he "beat the bushes" for Long in the 1947-1948 gubernatorial cycle. That year Long defeated his old intraparty rival, former Governor Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
. Fowler, meanwhile, defeated a number of opponents in a close Democratic primary race in 1959.
In the Democratic runoff election held on January 9, 1960, Fowler defeated David Wallace Chennault, Sr. (1923-1980), a native of El Paso
, Texas
, then living in Monroe
.Chennault was the sixth of eight children of General
Claire Chennault of the World War II
Flying Tigers
and first wife, Nell Thompson Chennault (1893-1977, originally from Winnsboro
, whom Chennault divorce
d. David Chennault died at the age of fifty-six in Houston
, Texas, but he still listed a Monroe address with the Social Security Administration
at the time of his passing.
In the ensuing general election
held on April 19, 1960, Fowler overwhelmed William C. Porter (1910-1977), a Republican railroad claims agent from Alexandria
, 86.8 percent to 13.2 percent. Porter had been an alternate delegate to the 1956 Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
, California
.
In 1963-1964, Fowler defeated Raymond Laborde
, the mayor
of Marksville
, the seat of Avoyelles Parish
, and later a state representative from 1972-1992, and commissioner of administration in the fourth and final term of Edwin Washington Edwards. Laborde, an Edwards boyhood friend, ran on the intraparty ticket headed by deLesseps Story Morrison, the former mayor of New Orleans. Laborde argued unsuccessfully at the time for the abolition of Fowler's office. All of the Morrison candidates were defeated.
Fowler was thereafter easily reelected to the administrative position in 1968, 1972, and 1975.
colonel and a former mathematics
instructor at Tulane University
in New Orleans. Thereafter a delegate to the 1972 Republican National Convention
in Miami Beach
, Florida
, Christiansen proposed that modern electronic voting devices be adopted to replace what he called "bulky, heavy, cumbersome, cantankerous" voting machines in use since the administration of Governor Robert F. Kennon
(1952-1956). Voting machines, often called "Shoup machines" for their inventor, Ransom Shoup, were used in some of the more populous parishes, including East Baton Rouge, Caddo (Shreveport) and Calcasieu (Lake Charles
) prior to the Kennon administration, but it was Kennon who obtained electronic machines in all precincts.
Christiansen ran on the Republican slate headed by gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
, then of Jefferson Parish. While Treen obtained 42.8 percent of the vote against Democrat Edwin Washington Edwards, Christiansen polled only 265,525 votes (25.5 percent). The entrenched Fowler received 721,987 votes (71.7 percent), and the American Party nominee Louis D. Arnaud drew 28,413 votes (2.8 percent).
In 1975, in the first-ever nonpartisan blanket primary, or jungle primary in Louisiana, Fowler easily defeated two fellow Democrats who sought the elections commissioner's position, Jerome A. Sauer, who charged that Louisiana voting machines can easily be rigged, and Delores Burrell Vanison.
, and then, in 1980, shortly after his death, the office reverted to his son. Jerry Fowler won the 1979 general election
over the Republican John Henry Baker
(born 1934) of Franklin Parish, whose unusual campaign called for the abolition of the election commissioner's position and the return of the duties to the secretary of state. Baker's proposal, defeated at the polls, was finally adopted a quarter of a century later in 2004. Baker drew the support of former state Representative and state Senator Robert G. "Bob" Jones of Lake Charles, whose father Long and Fowler had worked to defeat in 1948.
Fowler and his friend, former state Senator B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn, Sr.
, of Bogalusa in Washington Parish, were two Earl Long "cronies" who survived in office far beyond the Long gubernatorial terms, which finally closed in 1960. Rayburn recalled that he and Fowler "toured the state together with Earl in 1956. He was a very close, dear friend of mine. . . . He was just a fine a man as I have ever known." Earl Long's nephew, then U.S. Senator Russell B. Long
, said that "few people can claim to have served their state harder, more faithfully, and for a longer period than Doug Fowler. As commissioner of elections, he was an exemplary state official who won reelection time after time."
Jerry Fowler, meanwhile, later ran afoul of the law, was defeated for a sixth term in the 1999 primary, and served time in a federal prison in Texas
for bribery
and income tax evasion. Jerry Fowler's wife, Mari Ann, disappeared one Christmas weekend when she went to visit her husband in prison, was never located, and has been declared legally dead.
, a fellow Democrat.
Fowler died at seventy-three of emphysema
and pneumonia
in the Natchitoches Parish Hospital in Natchitoches
. His funeral was held on February 1, 1980, in his home church, First United Methodist Church in Coushatta. In addition to Jerry Fowler, Douglas Fowler was also survived by his elder son, Dr. Wiley Douglas Fowler, Jr. (November 15, 1938 -- October 2, 1998), then of Jacksonville, Florida
; two brothers, "Mutt" Fowler, then a Coushatta insurance
agent, and John R. Fowler (March 3, 1912—May 21, 1990), then a Coushatta drug store owner; two sisters; eight grandchildren; several nieces and nephews, including Katherine Ann "Kathy" Fowler (1946-2006) and H.M. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr., of Coushatta.
Fowler, his wife, and elder son are buried in the family plot in Springville Cemetery in Coushatta.
In 1999, Fowler was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
in Winn Parish. In its obituary of Fowler, the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate said that the former commissioner's favorite sport was clearly "politicking."
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Red River Parish in north Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, a loyal supporter of Governor Earl Kemp Long, and his state's chief elections officer from 1959, until declining health forced his retirement, effective December 31, 1979. Fowler laid the groundwork for a small-scale family political dynasty in Louisiana. Jerry Marston Fowler
Jerry Fowler
Jerry Marston Fowler was a Baton Rouge businessman who served as Louisiana's state Elections Commissioner from 1980 until his defeat in the 1999 jungle primary. He was part of the Fowler family Democratic political dynasty...
(1940-2009) succeeded his father as elections commissioner and served until a scandal caused his own defeat, effective in 2000. And one of Fowler's two brothers, Hendrix Marion "Mutt" Fowler, Sr., went into local politics, served in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
for fourteen years and ended his public career, also amid a scandal, as the executive director of the Sabine River Authority in Many
Many, Louisiana
Many is a town in and the parish seat of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,889 at the 2000 census. The town was named for John B. Many, the commander of nearby Fort Jesup.-History:...
.
Fowler was a native of Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
, the Red River Parish seat. He was elected three times as the parish clerk of court: 1940, 1944, and 1948. He was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Coushatta from 1952-1954. "Mutt" Fowler also later served as mayor of their community.
Fowler runs for state auditor
In 1952, Fowler ran unsuccessfully for state auditor on the Hale BoggsHale Boggs
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
intraparty gubernatorial ticket. The incumbent L.B. Baynard in turn lost the runoff election to Allison Kolb
Allison Kolb
Allison Ray Kolb was the Democratic auditor of Louisiana from 1952 to 1956, who angered many local officials in the pursuit of his job duties and was hence defeated by former Lieutenant Governor William J. "Bill" Dodd in the 1956 party primary...
, the choice of the successful candidate gor governor, Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
.
In 1956, Fowler, a particular favorite of Mrs. Blanche R. Long
Blanche Long
Blanche Beulah Revere Long was the first lady of Louisiana from 1939–1940, 1948–1952, and 1956-1960. She was also a "partner in power" to her husband, Governor Earl Kemp Long. From 1956-1963, she was the Democratic national committeewoman from Louisiana...
, the governor's wife, ran again for state auditor but was defeated in the primary by William J. "Bill" Dodd (1909-1991), who had served as lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
under Earl Long from 1948-1952. Also in that race was the incument Allison Kolb, who would later defect to the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and run unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 1968. The Long faction was divided over whether to back Fowler or Dodd for auditor.
Thereafter, Long rewarded Fowler for his loyalty to the Long faction and named him the third appointed "custodian of voting machines." The legislature created the unusual position -- the only in the nation -- at Long's request as a result of a bitter dispute that the governor was having with Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr.
Wade O. Martin, Jr.
Wade Omer Martin, Jr. was the Democratic Secretary of State of Louisiana under five governors, having served from 1944 to 1976...
, whose office then handled elections duties. A political commentator, Alan Ehrenhalt, years later dubbed the "custodianship" as the "most ridiculous elective office in the history of state government."
Custodian of voting machines
Fowler was appointed by Long as the director of the state Board of Registration, a position earlier held by Long confidant Drayton BoucherDrayton Boucher
Drayton Rogers Boucher was a Louisiana state legislator from Springhill in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana, affiliated with the Long faction of state Democratic politics. Boucher represented Webster Parish for a single four-year term in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940...
(1908-1983) of Springhill
Springhill, Louisiana
Springhill is a city in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,439 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Webster and Bossier parishes. Fowler's title was changed to "custodian" in 1959, and he ran for the position in the 1959-1960 Democratic primaries. Fowler said that he deserved the appointment because "I worked hard enough for it, and no one deserved it more," and he "beat the bushes" for Long in the 1947-1948 gubernatorial cycle. That year Long defeated his old intraparty rival, former Governor Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. Fowler, meanwhile, defeated a number of opponents in a close Democratic primary race in 1959.
In the Democratic runoff election held on January 9, 1960, Fowler defeated David Wallace Chennault, Sr. (1923-1980), a native of El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, then living in Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
.Chennault was the sixth of eight children of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Claire Chennault of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
and first wife, Nell Thompson Chennault (1893-1977, originally from Winnsboro
Winnsboro, Louisiana
Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of July 2009, the estimated city population was 4,377...
, whom Chennault divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d. David Chennault died at the age of fifty-six in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas, but he still listed a Monroe address with the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
at the time of his passing.
In the ensuing general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on April 19, 1960, Fowler overwhelmed William C. Porter (1910-1977), a Republican railroad claims agent from Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, 86.8 percent to 13.2 percent. Porter had been an alternate delegate to the 1956 Republican National Convention
1956 Republican National Convention
The 1956 Republican National Convention was held by the Republican Party of the United States at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, from August 20 to August 23, 1956. U.S. Senator William F. Knowland was temporary chairman and former speaker of the House Joseph W. Martin, Jr. served as...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
In 1963-1964, Fowler defeated Raymond Laborde
Raymond Laborde
Raymond Julian Laborde, I , is a department store owner and a retired Democratic politician in his native Marksville, the seat of Avoyelles Parish in south Central Louisiana. He was the mayor of Marksville from 1958–1970 and thereafter served five terms from 1972–1992 in the Louisiana House of...
, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Marksville
Marksville, Louisiana
Marksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land-based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994...
, the seat of Avoyelles Parish
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
, and later a state representative from 1972-1992, and commissioner of administration in the fourth and final term of Edwin Washington Edwards. Laborde, an Edwards boyhood friend, ran on the intraparty ticket headed by deLesseps Story Morrison, the former mayor of New Orleans. Laborde argued unsuccessfully at the time for the abolition of Fowler's office. All of the Morrison candidates were defeated.
Fowler was thereafter easily reelected to the administrative position in 1968, 1972, and 1975.
Facing Edward Christiansen, 1972
In 1971, Fowler won Democratic renomination over several candidates, including Jerome Sauer, who raised questions about the validity of voting machines in providing an accurae voter cournt. Fowler then faced only his second Republican opponent, reformer Edward W. Christiansen, Jr., a retired Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
colonel and a former mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
instructor at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans. Thereafter a delegate to the 1972 Republican National Convention
1972 Republican National Convention
The 1972 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated the incumbents Richard M. Nixon of California for President and Spiro T. Agnew of Maryland for Vice...
in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Christiansen proposed that modern electronic voting devices be adopted to replace what he called "bulky, heavy, cumbersome, cantankerous" voting machines in use since the administration of Governor Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
(1952-1956). Voting machines, often called "Shoup machines" for their inventor, Ransom Shoup, were used in some of the more populous parishes, including East Baton Rouge, Caddo (Shreveport) and Calcasieu (Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
) prior to the Kennon administration, but it was Kennon who obtained electronic machines in all precincts.
Christiansen ran on the Republican slate headed by gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
, then of Jefferson Parish. While Treen obtained 42.8 percent of the vote against Democrat Edwin Washington Edwards, Christiansen polled only 265,525 votes (25.5 percent). The entrenched Fowler received 721,987 votes (71.7 percent), and the American Party nominee Louis D. Arnaud drew 28,413 votes (2.8 percent).
In 1975, in the first-ever nonpartisan blanket primary, or jungle primary in Louisiana, Fowler easily defeated two fellow Democrats who sought the elections commissioner's position, Jerome A. Sauer, who charged that Louisiana voting machines can easily be rigged, and Delores Burrell Vanison.
Jerry Fowler succeeds his father
Under the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, the office of "custodian of voting machines" was renamed "elections commissioner." Fowler won a final term in the 1975 jungle primaryJungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
, and then, in 1980, shortly after his death, the office reverted to his son. Jerry Fowler won the 1979 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
over the Republican John Henry Baker
John Henry Baker
John Henry Baker, III , is a semiretired farmer and landowner from Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana who was active in the rebirth of the Republican Party in his state during the 1970s and 1980s. Baker was his party's nominee for the District 22 seat in the Louisiana State Senate in 1972...
(born 1934) of Franklin Parish, whose unusual campaign called for the abolition of the election commissioner's position and the return of the duties to the secretary of state. Baker's proposal, defeated at the polls, was finally adopted a quarter of a century later in 2004. Baker drew the support of former state Representative and state Senator Robert G. "Bob" Jones of Lake Charles, whose father Long and Fowler had worked to defeat in 1948.
Fowler and his friend, former state Senator B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn, Sr.
Sixty Rayburn
Benjamin Burras Rayburn, Sr., known as B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn , was a veteran politician from Bogalusa, an incorporated city in Washington Parish in southeastern Louisiana in the United States...
, of Bogalusa in Washington Parish, were two Earl Long "cronies" who survived in office far beyond the Long gubernatorial terms, which finally closed in 1960. Rayburn recalled that he and Fowler "toured the state together with Earl in 1956. He was a very close, dear friend of mine. . . . He was just a fine a man as I have ever known." Earl Long's nephew, then U.S. Senator Russell B. Long
Russell B. Long
Russell Billiu Long was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987.-Early life:...
, said that "few people can claim to have served their state harder, more faithfully, and for a longer period than Doug Fowler. As commissioner of elections, he was an exemplary state official who won reelection time after time."
Jerry Fowler, meanwhile, later ran afoul of the law, was defeated for a sixth term in the 1999 primary, and served time in a federal prison in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
for bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and income tax evasion. Jerry Fowler's wife, Mari Ann, disappeared one Christmas weekend when she went to visit her husband in prison, was never located, and has been declared legally dead.
Fowler's death
Fowler was a widower for the last four years of his life. His wife, Abbie Marston Fowler, was born on September 22, 1906 and died on July 20, 1976, as a result of severe injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Baton Rouge on December 4, 1975. Fowler and his driver, Fred Schlesinger, a state employee, were also injured in the accident but recovered. The insurance company acknowledged that the other driver, an employee of Western Union Telegraph Co., was liable for the accident, and compensation was paid to both Fowlers and to Schlesinger. The two Fowler sons later sued for damages after their mother's death. They retained the services of the Natchitoches attorney and then state Senator Donald G. "Don" KellyDonald G. Kelly
Donald Gene Kelly, usually known as Don Kelly , is a prominent trial lawyer and American Quarter Horse breeder in Natchitoches who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1996. His tenure covered three of the four terms of Democratic Governor Edwin Washington...
, a fellow Democrat.
Fowler died at seventy-three of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in the Natchitoches Parish Hospital in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. His funeral was held on February 1, 1980, in his home church, First United Methodist Church in Coushatta. In addition to Jerry Fowler, Douglas Fowler was also survived by his elder son, Dr. Wiley Douglas Fowler, Jr. (November 15, 1938 -- October 2, 1998), then of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
; two brothers, "Mutt" Fowler, then a Coushatta insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agent, and John R. Fowler (March 3, 1912—May 21, 1990), then a Coushatta drug store owner; two sisters; eight grandchildren; several nieces and nephews, including Katherine Ann "Kathy" Fowler (1946-2006) and H.M. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr., of Coushatta.
In 1999, Fowler was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
in Winn Parish. In its obituary of Fowler, the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate said that the former commissioner's favorite sport was clearly "politicking."