Posted on 03/02/2005 4:47:36 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Former U.S. Rep. Tillie Fowler, who became prominent on defense issues during her four terms in Congress, died Wednesday, two days after suffering a brain hemorrhage. She was 62.
Fowler, who was known as the "Steel Magnolia" for her quiet tenacity in Congress, died at a hospital, said Tom Alexander, a family spokesman.
Gov. Jeb Bush called Fowler "a great Floridian and committed public servant. Congresswoman Fowler was a great leader and was dedicated to making the lives of Floridians better. She will be missed."
Fowler was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, campaigning on an "eight is enough" term-limits pledge. She declined to seek re-election in 2000 though at the time she was vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, placing her fifth in the GOP hierarchy.
After leaving Congress in January 2001, she was mentioned as a possible secretary of the Navy in the Bush administration, but instead joined the national law firm of Holland & Knight.
Since 2003, Fowler had been chairwoman of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, which advises Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. She was also the chairwoman of the committee that investigated alleged sexual assaults at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Fowler, who represented the city of Jacksonville as a lobbyist on military base realignment and closures in 2003 and 2004, had been scheduled to attend a meeting Monday to discuss the upcoming round of base closings.
ping
A lovely woman. God bless her.
Good grief! 62????
This is tragic. Ms. Fowler was a great Congresswoman, and could have been a major figure. But she stuck to her word even when it went against her personal interest. We could use more like her in Congress.
Ping.
She was really great and will be missed.
God bless her and her family.
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