Darwin Gale Schisler was born March 2, 1933, on a farm in Indian Point Township, Knox County, Illinois.

While attending Western Illinois University, he was a letter winning football player and married Carolyn Cochran with whom he had three children.

In a surprising upset, he defeated incumbent Robert T. McLoskey in the predominantly Republican district which included Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island and Warren counties in Western Illinois.

[8] He was in favor of home-rule for Washington, D.C. and signed a discharge petition to get President Johnson's preferred bill out of committee.

[10] Shortly after, State Representative Tom Railsback of Moline announced his intention to stand against Schisler in the 1966 general election.

[12] After his loss, he was appointed as an assistant to Governor Otto Kerner Jr. leading the newly created Office of Intergovernmental Cooperation.

[17] When the Democratic Party took a majority in the Illinois House of Representatives after the 1974 election, Schisler was appointed chair of the Agriculture Committee.

[18] Five months into the Iran–United States hostage crisis, Schisler sponsored a nonbinding resolution urging Illinois’ public and private universities not to re-enroll current or new Iranian students for the upcoming school year.