was a noted Canadian socialist organizer and key figure in the prairie co-operative movements of Saskatchewan and Western Canada from the 1930s until the 1970s.
After leaving his bank job, Fowler entered a series of unsuccessful for-profit business ventures, including: a lease-purchase arrangement of a grain elevator, which ended when the grain elevator burned in 1928; and, sales enterprises in the oil, machinery, and insurance businesses, which ended when his house and home office burned in 1930.
[7] Vocal during preliminary discussions about establishing the CCRL, Fowler argued that this integration would create “an integrated co-operative structure with firm local roots, rather than just an independent central refinery.”[8] The CCRL would eventually provide significant financial resources that benefitted other co-operative units, as FCL senior manager Tony Drummer highlights: "It provided the cash flow that made a lot of things possible.
[10] On April 23, 1940, leaders from the most prominent co-operatives across Western Canada met in Saskatoon's historic Bessborough Hotel to discuss how the costs of agriculture implements and tractors might be lowered; among them was Harry Fowler.
[5] Regarding the topic of farm machinery prices, Fowler echoed Mark Twain's comments about the weather: "Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it.
In addition to his extraordinarily active career in the cooperative movement, he has been a leading member of his church, of the fraternal organizations he has belonged to, and of several educational institutions including the Board of Governors of this University.
"[2] Premier of Saskatchewan (1944-1961), Weyburn native, and "The Greatest Canadian" Tommy Douglas said of Fowler: "Who else would have the gall to even think a group of farmers could take on the giants of the oil industry and win!