{{Short description|American lawyer and politician (1832–1896)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} '''Charles A. Fowler''' (May 10, 1832 – February 7, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
== Life == Fowler was born on May 10, 1832, in Cold Spring, New York.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clearwater |first=Alphonso T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9I4AQAAMAAJ |title=The History of Ulster County, New York |publisher=W. J. Van Deusen |year=1907 |location=Kingston, N.Y. |pages=605 |author-link=Alphonso T. Clearwater |via=Google Books}}</ref>
Fowler attended the American Seminary in Dutchess County. When he was 16, he entered Yale College. He had to drop out in 1851, a year before he would have graduated, due to poor health. He then studied law under Azor Tabor in Albany and studied at Albany Law School. He was a member of the first class of the school, became the oldest living graduate by the time he died, and served as president of the Alumni Association in 1885. In 1853, a day before his 21st birthday, he was admitted to the bar. He then practiced law in Chicago, Illinois, for the next few years. In 1859, he opened a law office in New York City and formed a partnership with Alfred Conkling. In 1864, he moved to Ellenville and opened a successful law practice there.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89061899985&view=1up&seq=226|title=Commemorative Biographical Record of Ulster County, New York|publisher=J. H. Beers & Co.|year=1896|location=Chicago, I.L.|pages=220–224|via=HathiTrust}}</ref>
Fowler served as Surrogate of Ulster County from 1868 to 1872. In 1879, he was elected to the New York State Senate as a Democrat, representing New York's 14th State Senate district (Ulster, Schoharie, and Greene Counties). He served in the Senate in 1880<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/eveningjournalal1876amer/page/115/mode/1up|title=The Evening Journal Almanac, 1880|year=1880|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=115|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> and 1881. At some point prior to his election to the Senate, he moved to Kingston.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/eveningjournalal1880slsn/page/n126/mode/1up|title=The Evening Journal 1881 Almanac|publisher=Weed, Parsons & Co.|year=1881|editor-last=McBride|editor-first=Alexander|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=125|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
Fowler was a member, vestryman, and warden of St. John's Episcopal Church. In 1853, he married Hannah M. Warren, daughter of Cornelius Warren. They had two surviving sons, Cornelius W. and Everett. Everett worked as a law partner with his father for several years under the firm name C. A. & E. Fowler.<ref name=":0" />
Fowler died in C. O. Sahler's sanitarium in Kingston, where he was for some time, on February 7, 1896.<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 February 1896|title=Death of Ex-Senator Fowler|volume=84|page=1|work=The Argus|location=Albany, N.Y.|url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83045592/1896-02-08/ed-1/seq-1/|via=NYS Historic Newspapers}}</ref> He was buried in Wiltwyck Rural Cemetery in Kingston.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* ''[https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/fowler.html#367.35.89 The Political Graveyard]'' * [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205227927/charles-a-fowler Charles A. Fowler] at ''Find a Grave''
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ny-sen}} {{succession box | title = New York State Senate <br>14th District | years = 1880–1881 | before = Addison P. Jones | after = Addison P. Jones }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Charles A.}} Category:1832 births Category:1896 deaths Category:People from Cold Spring, New York Category:Yale College alumni Category:Albany Law School alumni Category:19th-century American lawyers Category:Lawyers from Chicago Category:Lawyers from New York City Category:People from Ellenville, New York Category:Politicians from Kingston, New York Category:Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Category:19th-century American Episcopalians Category:Burials at Wiltwyck Rural Cemetery Category:19th-century members of the New York State Legislature
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