James Fowler (1788 – October 18, 1873) was an American lawyer and politician.
Fowler, eldest child of Samuel Fowler and Jemima (Lyman) Fowler, was born in
Westfield, Mass., in 1788, and died in the same town, October 18, 1873, aged 85. He was the last survivor of the
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
class of 1807.
He studied law at the
Litchfield Law School
The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...
, but mainly followed agricultural pursuits in his native town. From 1820 to 1830 he was successively a member of both houses of the
Massachusetts State Legislature
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
. He was also one of the
Massachusetts Governor's Council
The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...
, and filled a number of local offices. He was especially interested in education, and was from 1826 to 1838 one of the trustees of
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
.
He married, first, Feb. 9, 1820, Lucy L., daughter of Major T. J. Douglas, who died July 16, 1840. He married, secondly, Oct. 6, 1841, Charlotte, daughter of Capt. Silas Whitney. He left one son, a graduate of Yale in 1839, and one daughter.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, James
1788 births
1873 deaths
People from Westfield, Massachusetts
Yale College alumni
Litchfield Law School alumni
Massachusetts state senators
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council
19th-century American politicians