Henry H. Fowler
| Henry Hamill Fowler | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 58th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office April 1, 1965 – December 20, 1968 |
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| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | C. Douglas Dillon |
| Succeeded by | Joseph W. Barr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 5, 1908 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Died | January 3, 2000 (aged 91) Alexandria, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Trudye Hathcote, 1938-2000 |
| Children |
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| Residence | Falls Church, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Roanoke College Yale University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| [1][2][3] | |
Henry Hammill Fowler (September 5, 1908–January 3, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and career
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Fowler was the son of Mack Johnson Fowler, a locomotive engineer, and his wife Bertha Browning.[4]
Henry Fowler graduated from Roanoke College in 1929, where he joined Pi Kappa Phi, played many sports, and edited the College newspaper.[3] He received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1932.
He worked briefly at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., then joined the legal staff of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1934. There he assisted in the preparation and successful conduct of the four-year litigation establishing the constitutionality of that program. By 1939, he had risen to Assistant General Counsel of the TVA and subsequently served as chief counsel of a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor.
[edit] Wartime role
From 1941 to 1944, he was an assistant general counsel of the Office of Production Management and afterward of the War Production Board. He then served in the United Kingdom and Germany in 1944 and 1945. He then returned to private practice and then in 1951 rejoined the government to work on the mobilization of troops during the Korean War. During this period he was an administrator of the National Production Authority, administrator of the Defense Production Administration, Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization and member of the National Security Council.[5]
[edit] Post-war career
With the onset of the Eisenhower administration, Fowler returned to his private law practice and served on the Democratic Advisory Council, which helped outline party positions on many issues.
Fowler served as a member of the Commission on Money and Credit from 1958 to 1961, and of the National Committee on Government Finance of the Brookings Institution from 1960 to 1961. He was a Trustee of Roanoke College and of the Funds in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
He served as Under Secretary of the Treasury from February 3, 1961, until April 10, 1964. He spent most of his time at Treasury working on passage of the administration's tax program, which included an $11.5 billion tax cut. He then he returned to private law practice as senior member of the Washington firm of Fowler, Leva, Hawes and Symington.
As Secretary of the Treasury from 1965 to 1968, Fowler was known for his loyalty to Johnson throughout the administration's ups and downs. He was described as having "a ruddy face, southern charm and a conservative outlook".[6]
The major problems facing Fowler were inflation and the balance of payments deficit. In August 1967, Fowler began the fight for a 10 percent tax surcharge and saw the proposal passed by a House-Senate conference in June 1968. In the debate over the balance of payments deficit, Fowler was a proponent of the "go-slow" approach.[5] Fowler organized a two-tier system for gold in 1968, and participated in the 1967-68 international agreements, which created a new international monetary reserve system called "special drawing rights." He proposed (1967) a seminar (taken up by then Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan) of financial officials from rich countries, the forerunner of the Group of Five, . He also ended silver coinage in the United States.[2]
After leaving the Treasury Department, Fowler joined Goldman Sachs in New York City as a partner.[2]
[edit] Family and personal life
Fowler married Trudye Pamela Hathcote on 19 October 1938.[4] The couple had a son and two daughters:
- Henry H. Fowler Jnr
- Marianne Fowler Smith
- Susan Fowler-Gallagher.
Fowler and his family sponsored a public policy program at Roanoke.[7]
Henry Fowler died of pneumonia on January 3, 2000. At the time of his death, he was living in Falls Church, Virginia. Trudye Fowler died on 22 January 2008, at Alexandria, Virginia.[8]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Johnson, Niel M. (June 20, 1989). "Henry H. Fowler Oral History Interview". Henry H. Fowler Oral History Interview. Truman Library. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist/fowlerh.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ a b c Hershey, Robert D. Jr. (January 05, 2000). "Henry Fowler Is Dead at 91; Former Treasury Secretary". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/05/business/henry-fowler-is-dead-at-91-former-treasury-secretary.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ^ a b "Henry H. Fowler Biography". Roanoke College. http://roanoke.edu/a-z_index/henry_h_fowler/henry_h_fowler_biography.htm. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ a b http://www.nndb.com/people/266/000167762/
- ^ a b "Lyndon Baines Johnson Front Page - Henry H. Fowler (1965–1968): Secretary of the Treasury". American President: A Reference Resource. Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs. http://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/essays/cabinet/604. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "Man in the News: Henry H. Fowler". The Telegraph. New York Times News Service (Nashua, New Hampshire): p. 7. March 29, 1965. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19650329&id=709gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SXENAAAAIBAJ&pg=7269,2555475. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "Henry H. Fowler". Roanoke College. http://roanoke.edu/A-Z_Index/Henry_H_Fowler.htm. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- ^ "FOWLER, TRUDYE HATHCOTE". The New York Times. January 27, 2008. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E1DC173AF934A15752C0A96E9C8B63. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
[edit] External links
- TIME Magazine Cover: Henry H. Fowler, Sept. 10, 1965
- Roanoke College: Henry H. Fowler Public Policy Program
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Henry H. Fowler (August 11, 1952)" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by C. Douglas Dillon |
United States Secretary of the Treasury Served under: Lyndon B. Johnson 1965–1968 |
Succeeded by Joseph W. Barr |
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- 1908 births
- 2000 deaths
- Burials at Old Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)
- Deaths from pneumonia
- Employees of the United States Senate
- Goldman Sachs people
- People from Roanoke, Virginia
- Roanoke College alumni
- United States National Security Council staffers
- United States Secretaries of the Treasury
- Yale Law School alumni
- Truman Administration personnel
- Lyndon B. Johnson Administration cabinet members
