Chester A. Fowler
{{Short description|20th century American judge}}
{{Infobox judge
|honorific-prefix = The Honorable
| name = Chester A. Fowler
| image name = Chester A. Fowler (8254108354) (1).jpg
| caption = Fowler circa 1940
|office = Justice of the {{nowrap|Wisconsin Supreme Court}}
| term_start = December 1929
| term_end = April 8, 1948
| appointer = Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
| predecessor = Aad J. Vinje
| successor = John E. Martin
|office1 = Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge {{nowrap|for the 18th Circuit}}
| term_start1 = January 1, 1905
| term_end1 = December 1929
| predecessor1 = Position established
| successor1 = Clayton F. Van Pelt
|birth_name = Chester Almeron Fowler
| birth_date = {{birth date|1862|12|24}}
| birth_place = Rubicon, Wisconsin
| death_date = {{death date and age|1948|4|8|1862|12|24}}
| death_place = Madison, Wisconsin
|restingplace = Forest Hill Cemetery
Madison, Wisconsin
| party =
| spouse = {{unbulleted list
| Carrie J. Smith
| (m. 1892; died 1946)
}}
| children = {{unbulleted list
| Mary (Boynton)
| {{sup|(b. 1893; died 1964)}}
| Dwight Fowler
| {{sup|(b. 1894; died 1981)}}
}}
| father = Franklin Dwight Fowler
| mother = Maria Antoinette (Cole) Fowler
| religion =
| alma_mater = University of Wisconsin
}}
Chester Almeron Fowler (December 24, 1862{{spaced ndash}}April 8, 1948) was an American judge in the state of Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the last 19 years of his life, after serving 25 years as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge.
Biography
Fowler was born Chester Almeron Fowler to Franklin Dwight and Maria Fowler in Rubicon, Wisconsin.{{Cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/fowler.html#0PG0VDFEN|title = The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Fowler}} On May 30, 1892, he married Carrie J. Smith. He graduated from what is now the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and taught school. He studied law in Iowa and graduated from the University of Wisconsin. He then practiced law in Omaha, Nebraska, until returning to Wisconsin with his law partner.{{cite web|url=http://www.wicourts.gov/about/judges/supreme/retired/fowler.htm |title=Wisconsin Court System - Chester A. Fowler |accessdate=2010-07-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609181400/http://www.wicourts.gov/about/judges/supreme/retired/fowler.htm |archivedate=2010-06-09 }}
Career
File:Chester A. Fowler 1929 Blue Book (A24WTOUWVWECBI8C).jpg
Fowler was a circuit judge in Wisconsin from 1905 to 1929. He was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court at the end of 1929 to replace the deceased Chief Justice Aad J. Vinje. The following spring, he won election to the remainder of the term and was re-elected twice more before dying in office in 1948.
Electoral history
=Wisconsin Supreme Court (1916)=
{{Election box begin | title=1916 Wisconsin Supreme Court election{{cite report|chapter-url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1917| title= The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1917|year= 1917 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |chapter= Election statistics |page= 300 |accessdate= December 27, 2019 }}}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 1916
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Franz C. Eschweiler
|votes = 70,380
|percentage = 23.40%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = William J. Turner
|votes = 64,568
|percentage = 21.46%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Ellsworth B. Belden
|votes = 57,670
|percentage = 19.17%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Walter D. Corrigan
|votes = 56,666
|percentage = 18.84%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Chester A. Fowler
|votes = 51,033
|percentage = 16.97%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = Scattering
|votes = 489
|percentage = 0.16%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 5,812
|percentage = 1.93%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 300,806
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Wisconsin Supreme Court (1930, 1931, 1941)=
{{Election box begin | title=1930 Wisconsin Supreme Court special election{{cite report|chapter-url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1931 |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1931|year= 1931 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Kelly |editor-first= Alice |location=Madison, Wisconsin |chapter= Parties and elections |page= 580 |accessdate= December 27, 2019 }}}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 1, 1930
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Chester A. Fowler (incumbent)
|votes = 198,572
|percentage = 41.39%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = John W. Reynolds Sr.
|votes = 184,317
|percentage = 38.42%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Ray J. Cannon
|votes = 96,908
|percentage = 20.20%
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party =
|candidate = Scattering
|votes = 433
|percentage = 0.09%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 14,255
|percentage = 2.97%
|change =
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 480,230
|percentage = 100.0%
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=1931 Wisconsin Supreme Court election{{cite report|chapter-url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1933 |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1933|year= 1933 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor1-last= Witte |editor1-first= Edwin E. |editor2-last= Kelly|editor2-first= Alice|location=Madison, Wisconsin |chapter= Parties and elections |page= 505 |accessdate= December 27, 2019 }}}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 7, 1931
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Chester A. Fowler (incumbent)
|votes = 254,534
|percentage = 46.87%
|change = +5.52%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = John W. Reynolds, Sr.
|votes = 230,902
|percentage = 42.52%
|change = +4.14%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = George L. Mensing
|votes = 57,590
|percentage = 10.61%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 23,632
|percentage = 4.35%
|change = +1.38%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 543,026
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = +13.08%
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=1941 Wisconsin Supreme Court election{{cite report|chapter-url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1942 |title= The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1942|year= 1942 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor1-last= Ohm|editor1-first= Howard F. |editor2-last= Bryhan |editor2-first= Leone G.|chapter= Parties and elections: the judicial and nonpartisan elections |page= 675 |accessdate= December 27, 2019 }}}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 1, 1941
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Chester A. Fowler (incumbent)
|votes = 290,276
|percentage = 54.89%
|change = +8.02%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Alvin C. Reis
|votes = 238,562
|percentage = 45.11%
|change =
}}
{{Election box plurality
|votes = 51,714
|percentage = 9.78%
|change = +5.43%
}}
{{Election box total
|votes = 528,838
|percentage = 100.0%
|change = -2.61%
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
|-
{{s-non|reason = New circuit }}
{{s-ttl|title = Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge {{nowrap|for the 18th Circuit}}|years=1905{{spaced ndash}}1929}}
{{s-aft|after = Clayton F. Van Pelt}}
{{s-bef|before = Aad J. Vinje}}
{{s-ttl|title = Justice of the {{nowrap|Wisconsin Supreme Court}}|years=1929{{spaced ndash}}1948}}
{{s-aft|after = John E. Martin}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Chester A.}}
Category:People from Rubicon, Wisconsin
Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Category:University of Wisconsin–Whitewater alumni
Category:Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court