Tillie Kidd Fowler (December 23, 1942 – March 2, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 4th congressional district from 1993 to 2001.
She graduated from Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1960 before earning her undergraduate degree from Emory University,[1] where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, in 1964.
[1] In 1968, she married L. Buck Fowler and moved to Jacksonville, Florida,[1] where she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, to her father's chagrin.
Early on, Fowler hammered Bennett for having 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.
Shortly after the campaign began, Bennett's wife fell ill and he abruptly announced his retirement.
Her main interest, however, was in defense issues — not surprising given the large number of naval bases in the Jacksonville area.
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.
[5][6] Following her tenure in Congress, Fowler joined the prominent Washington law firm Holland & Knight as a partner.
In addition, she chaired the Department of Defense panel responsible for investigating the 2003 United States Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal.