Tillie Fowler
Encyclopedia
Tillie Kidd Fowler was an American
politician who served in the United States House of Representatives
from 1993 to 2001.
in 1942. Her father, Culver Kidd, Jr., served in the Georgia state legislature for 46 years — 16 years in the state house and 30 in the state senate. She earned her undergraduate degree from Emory University
in 1964, and earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law
three years later. Her father had pushed her to attend law school because she was a fairly outspoken woman by the standards of the time. She was admitted to the bar soon after getting her degree, but no Atlanta-area law firm would hire a woman at the time. However, U.S. Congressman Robert G. Stephens, Jr.
of Georgia hired her as a legislative assistant for three years. She then worked as general counsel in the White House Office of Consumer Affairs until 1971.
She married in 1971 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
that year, where she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican much to her father's chagrin. She was active in volunteer activities and the area Junior League
, serving as the Jacksonville chapter's president from 1982 to 1983. She was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 1985. In 1989, Fowler became the council's president. She gained infamy during her tenure as president for ordering the arrest of three black councilors in order to get a quorum
for passing the city budget. The three blacks were angry when their districts were denied funding for sewage and drainage projects. Fowler spent several years denying that her actions were racially motivated.
, the second-longest serving member of the House and the longest-serving member of either house of Congress
in Florida history. Bennett seemed to have an unbreakable hold on the seat; Fowler was only the seventh Republican to put up a challenge to him.
Early on, Fowler hammered Bennett as a politician who had been in Congress for too long (he had first won election a few days before her sixth birthday) and promised to serve no more than four terms in the House. Her slogan was "eight (years) is enough." Shortly after the campaign began, Bennett's wife fell ill and he abruptly announced his retirement. The Democrats drafted state senator Mattox Hair as a replacement candidate, but Hair didn't have nearly enough time to overcome a severe financial disadvantage and lost to Fowler by almost 13 points. Fowler became only the third representative of the 4th District since it was created in 1943 (it was the 2nd District until 1967, when it was renumbered the 3rd) and the first Republican. She was also the first Florida Republican woman elected to the House in her own right (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
of the Miami area first came to the House in 1989 to finish out the unexpired term of the late Claude Pepper
). She was reelected three more times, all unopposed. This was largely because the Jacksonville area had been under Republican influence for some time (the city has only voted for the Democratic presidential nominee once since 1972 even though Democrats still have a substantial majority in registration) and most of Jacksonville's blacks had been drawn into the majority-black 3rd District after the 1990 census.
Fowler's voting record was relatively moderate by Southern Republican standards. She was moderately pro-choice
on abortion
and refused to take money from the National Rifle Association
. Her main interest, however, was in defense issues — not surprising given the large number of naval bases
in the Jacksonville area. As the only Republican woman on the House Armed Services Committee, she blasted the Clinton administration
's cuts in defense spending and subsequent increases in spending for peacekeeping missions. She tried to head off the shutdown of the naval firing range at Vieques
, but was unsuccessful. Her interest in defense issues, as well as her demeanor, earned her the nickname "Steel Magnolia."
Unlike most Republicans elected to Congress during the 1990s, Fowler had very good relations with Democrats. She was one of the few Republicans active in the Congressional Women's Caucus, and refused to campaign against incumbents with whom she had friendly relations. She was also an ardent feminist, vociferously protesting an article in Roll Call
in which a picture of Republican women at a press conference only showed their legs and black pumps.
Fowler eventually rose to vice-chairwoman of the House Republican Conference (caucus), the number-five position among House Republicans (behind the Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Whip and Republican Conference chair). This led her to broach the possibility of running for a fifth term in 2000. She came under considerable fire from term limits proponents. One group ran ads in Jacksonville calling her "Slick Tillie," a play on Clinton's nickname of "Slick Willie." Eventually, she decided to honor her original pledge, and didn't run for reelection in 2000.
Donald Rumsfeld
on operational issues. She frequently lobbied her former colleagues on behalf of Jacksonville during debate over military base realignment and closures. In addition, she chaired the Department of Defense
panel responsible for investigating the 2003 US Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal
.
In 2001 she was appointed by congress to the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
.
She died on March 2, 2005 of a brain hemorrhage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1993 to 2001.
Early life
Fowler was born in Milledgeville, GeorgiaMilledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
in 1942. Her father, Culver Kidd, Jr., served in the Georgia state legislature for 46 years — 16 years in the state house and 30 in the state senate. She earned her undergraduate degree from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in 1964, and earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is a first-tier US law school that is part of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It is ranked #30 among ABA-approved law schools by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report...
three years later. Her father had pushed her to attend law school because she was a fairly outspoken woman by the standards of the time. She was admitted to the bar soon after getting her degree, but no Atlanta-area law firm would hire a woman at the time. However, U.S. Congressman Robert G. Stephens, Jr.
Robert Grier Stephens, Jr.
Robert Grier Stephens, Jr. was a United States Representative from Georgia.Stephens was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a great-great nephew of Alexander Stephens, a grandson of Clement Anselm Evans and a distant cousin of 19th-century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Cooper Grier. Robert...
of Georgia hired her as a legislative assistant for three years. She then worked as general counsel in the White House Office of Consumer Affairs until 1971.
She married in 1971 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
that year, where she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican much to her father's chagrin. She was active in volunteer activities and the area Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
, serving as the Jacksonville chapter's president from 1982 to 1983. She was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 1985. In 1989, Fowler became the council's president. She gained infamy during her tenure as president for ordering the arrest of three black councilors in order to get a quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
for passing the city budget. The three blacks were angry when their districts were denied funding for sewage and drainage projects. Fowler spent several years denying that her actions were racially motivated.
U.S. Congresswoman
In 1992, Fowler won the Republican nomination for Florida's 4th Congressional District, based in Jacksonville. It had been renumbered from the 3rd after Florida gained four districts after the 1990 United States Census. She was initially expected to run against 22-term incumbent Charlie BennettCharles Edward Bennett
Charles Edward Bennett was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1949 to 1993. He was a Democrat who resided in Jacksonville, Florida.-Early years:...
, the second-longest serving member of the House and the longest-serving member of either house of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in Florida history. Bennett seemed to have an unbreakable hold on the seat; Fowler was only the seventh Republican to put up a challenge to him.
Early on, Fowler hammered Bennett as a politician who had been in Congress for too long (he had first won election a few days before her sixth birthday) and promised to serve no more than four terms in the House. Her slogan was "eight (years) is enough." Shortly after the campaign began, Bennett's wife fell ill and he abruptly announced his retirement. The Democrats drafted state senator Mattox Hair as a replacement candidate, but Hair didn't have nearly enough time to overcome a severe financial disadvantage and lost to Fowler by almost 13 points. Fowler became only the third representative of the 4th District since it was created in 1943 (it was the 2nd District until 1967, when it was renumbered the 3rd) and the first Republican. She was also the first Florida Republican woman elected to the House in her own right (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. She is a member of the Republican Party....
of the Miami area first came to the House in 1989 to finish out the unexpired term of the late Claude Pepper
Claude Pepper
Claude Denson Pepper was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. In foreign policy he shifted from pro-Soviet in the 1940s to anti-Communist in the 1950s...
). She was reelected three more times, all unopposed. This was largely because the Jacksonville area had been under Republican influence for some time (the city has only voted for the Democratic presidential nominee once since 1972 even though Democrats still have a substantial majority in registration) and most of Jacksonville's blacks had been drawn into the majority-black 3rd District after the 1990 census.
Fowler's voting record was relatively moderate by Southern Republican standards. She was moderately pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and refused to take money from the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. Her main interest, however, was in defense issues — not surprising given the large number of naval bases
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in the Jacksonville area. As the only Republican woman on the House Armed Services Committee, she blasted the Clinton administration
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's cuts in defense spending and subsequent increases in spending for peacekeeping missions. She tried to head off the shutdown of the naval firing range at Vieques
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...
, but was unsuccessful. Her interest in defense issues, as well as her demeanor, earned her the nickname "Steel Magnolia."
Unlike most Republicans elected to Congress during the 1990s, Fowler had very good relations with Democrats. She was one of the few Republicans active in the Congressional Women's Caucus, and refused to campaign against incumbents with whom she had friendly relations. She was also an ardent feminist, vociferously protesting an article in Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
in which a picture of Republican women at a press conference only showed their legs and black pumps.
Fowler eventually rose to vice-chairwoman of the House Republican Conference (caucus), the number-five position among House Republicans (behind the Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Whip and Republican Conference chair). This led her to broach the possibility of running for a fifth term in 2000. She came under considerable fire from term limits proponents. One group ran ads in Jacksonville calling her "Slick Tillie," a play on Clinton's nickname of "Slick Willie." Eventually, she decided to honor her original pledge, and didn't run for reelection in 2000.
Post-Congressional Career
Following her tenure in Congress, she joined the prominent Washington law firm of Holland and Knight as a partner. She also served as an advisor to Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
on operational issues. She frequently lobbied her former colleagues on behalf of Jacksonville during debate over military base realignment and closures. In addition, she chaired the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
panel responsible for investigating the 2003 US Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal
2003 US Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal
The Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal in 2003 involved allegations of sexual assault at the United States Air Force Academy, as well as allegations that the alleged incidents had been ignored by the Academy’s leadership.-Context:President Gerald R...
.
In 2001 she was appointed by congress to the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry
The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry was formed jointly by United States President George W. Bush and the United States Congress in 2001...
.
She died on March 2, 2005 of a brain hemorrhage.