Shirley Duvigneaud Bowler (born October 2, 1949) is a writer and editor who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives

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 1992 until term-limited in 2008. A Republican

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...

, she represented Louisiana House District 78, which includes her hometown of Harahan

Harahan, Louisiana

Harahan is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 9,885 at the 2000 census.Harahan was named in honor of James Theodore Harahan, president of the Illinois Central Railroad from 1906-1911...

, 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...

, in Jefferson Parish

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....

 in suburban New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

. She was succeeded by current Representative Kirk Talbot

Kirk Talbot

Michael Kirk Talbot is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from River Ridge, Louisiana, located in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans.-Education:...

. During much of her House tenure, her District 77 colleague from St. Tammany and Tangipahoa

Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...

 parishes was Diane Winston

Diane Winston

Diane Grisham Winston is a businesswoman from Covington, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 until term-limited in 2008. Her District 77 includes parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in suburban New Orleans. In 2012, the district...

, a fellow Republican.

Bowler was elected to the House in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in October 1991, when she unseated incumbent

Incumbent

The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...

 Republican Robert T. Garrity, Jr., 8,986 (59.3 percent) to 6,167 (40.7 percent).

In the House, Bowler served on the following committees:

• House Legislative Services Council (of which she was Vice Chair)
• Civil Law and Procedure
• Insurance
• Labor and Industrial Relations
• House Special Committee on Disaster Planning - Jefferson Subcommittee (Katrina aftermath
  Hurricane Katrina
  Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
  
  )
• House Special Committee on Disaster Planning, Crisis Management, Recovery & Long-Term Revitalization (Katrina aftermath
  Hurricane Katrina
  Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
  
  )

On September 11, 2006, Bowler represented the Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus on the annual convention program of the American Bankers Insurance Association (ABIA) in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

  Bowler has also been active in the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI), serving on its Bond for Deed Committee and Visitation Committee.

Bowler, a New Orleans native, is a writer and editor. She received her secondary education

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 at Saint Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans, for which she has been Alumnae Coordinator and Alumnae Association vice president

Vice president

A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...

 and later became Alum of the Year, an honor bestowed for lifetime achievement and promoting the fundamentals of the school. Her B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree is from the University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...

. She has additional training as a television advertising producer. From 1971-1977, she was a schoolteacher. Bowler was one of the first women admitted to the Harahan Rotary International

Rotary International

Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...

 and has served as the club’s vice president, treasurer, and president. Bowler is married to Michael J. Bowler (born April 2, 1948). They are Roman Catholic.

While in the House, she earned the nickname "The Black Widow" for being the person most likely to kill a colleague's bill. During her last term in office, having accepted the nickname, she purchased 50 gold plated "Black Widow" pins and gave them out to legislators who unknowingly killed a bill that she deemed necessary of rejection. She was also known by most legislators to have read all the bills or at least most of them, and every bill she voted on. Such claims are generally folklore, but it thought that she read more bills than any other legislature during her tenure.

Upon departure from the legislature she was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Management and Finance for the Louisiana Department of Insurance as an appointee of the elected Commissioner, James "Jim" Donnelon.