Daniel Gould Fowle (March 3, 1831April 7, 1891) was the 46th

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1889 until his death in 1891. He had served as a state

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge from 1865 to 1867. Fowle was the first governor to live in the governor's official residence, and ultimately died. According to popular legend, the

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

of Gov. Fowle has haunted the

North Carolina Executive Mansion The North Carolina Executive Mansion (also referred to as the North Carolina Governor's Mansion) is the official residence of the governor of North Carolina and their family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by architects Samu ...

from time to time.Greensboro News & Record article
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Early life

Fowle was born in

Washington, North Carolina Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original Wa ...

to Samuel and Martha March Fowle. Samuel Fowle had moved to North Carolina from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1815 and was a wealthy merchant. Daniel Fowle attended Bingham Academy, where he finished first in his class, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. Upon graduating from Princeton in 1851 he studied law at

Richmond Hill Law School Richmond Hill Law School is a historic home and law school building located near Richmond Hill, Yadkin County, North Carolina. It was built in 1848, and is a two-story, three bay, "T"-plan, brick building. It has a low hipped roof and deep ove ...

and began a practice in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

Civil War

Fowle was opposed to secession, but he still volunteered as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the North Carolina

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He was soon appointed

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the commissary branch. He resigned that post and helped to raise the 31st North Carolina Infantry regiment. On September 9, 1861, Fowle was appointed

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the regiment. In February 1862, Fowle and the 31st NC were captured on Roanoke Island. He was paroled two weeks later. In September 1862, he was defeated in the election for

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the regiment and left the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. In October, he was elected to the state legislature representing

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. In March 1863, Governor

Zebulon B. Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. A prolific writer and noted public speake ...

appointed Fowle

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of North Carolina with the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. Fowle resigned the post in the fall of 1863 after a disagreement with Vance. Fowle was reelected to the legislature in 1864.

Post-War

Fowle returned to his law practice and made a name for himself in the state Democratic Party. In 1868, he was elected as the state chairman of the Democratic Party. In 1880 he was defeated in the gubernatorial election and in 1884 he lost a race for Congress.

Governor

Fowle was nominated by the "liberal" faction of the Democratic Party in 1888 and he won the general election. As he was widowed when elected, his daughter

Helen Whitaker Fowle Knight Helen Whitaker Fowle Knight (June 14, 1869 – May 4, 1948) was an American political hostess. When her widowed father, Daniel Gould Fowle, became Governor of North Carolina in 1889, she served as the state's First Lady. She was the first North ...

served as his first lady. He created a state railroad commission to protect farmers and advocated for education for women. He died while in office and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

References

External links

D.G. Fowle brief profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowle, Daniel 1831 births 1891 deaths Adjutants General of North Carolina

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

Democratic Party governors of North Carolina North Carolina state court judges Burials at Historic Oakwood Cemetery People of North Carolina in the American Civil War Princeton University alumni People from Washington, North Carolina