William Fowler (c. 1815 – October 10, 1862) was a Native American politician and the first legislator in Wisconsin of known non-European descent.

[1][2] During the American Civil War, he volunteered for service in the Union Army and died of wounds he received at the Battle of Perryville in 1862.

William Fowler was born in 1815 into the Brothertown Indians,[2] at a time when his people were living on a small reservation in Oneida County, New York.

[4] In 1854, Fowler submitted "a memorial of the Brotherton tribe of Indians" to the U.S. Congress advancing a historical claim for $30,000 as compensation for lands allegedly ceded by several treaties.

[9] Fowler enlisted in the United States Army, in the 21st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, during the American Civil War when he was in his late 40s.