St. Albert loses a former mayor - Richard Fowler

The Musée Héritage Museum is sad today, to hear of the passing of St. Albert's former mayor, Richard Fowler.  Fowler contributed greatly to the St. Albert community. To name a few contributions, Fowler erected the

--> Sturgeon General Hospital, St. Albert’s provincial building and the St. Albert courthouse.  He is noted for bringing the Alberta Winter Games to St. Albert during the 1970s.  

 

-->Fowler became a resident of St. Albert in 1958, when he moved here with his wife Vera.  The couple had five children.  In the early 1960s, Richard Fowler was a salesman of commercial heating, air conditioning and refrigeration. In the 1960s he was also active with the Boy Scouts.   By 1963, he gained a seat on the council of St. Albert and in 1965 he became mayor of St. Albert.  His first term as mayor ended in 1968 and in 1969 he began to work towards a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta.  By 1976, Richard Fowler obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences and a LL.B.  Following his schooling, from 1980 to 1989, Richard Fowler held the position of mayor of the City of St. Albert for three terms.  Then, in 1989, he won an election for the position of Member of Legislative Assembly for the Province of Alberta under the Progressive Conservative Party.  During his term as Member of Legislative Assembly, he served as Solicitor General, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Minister Responsible for Native Affairs and Justice Minister.  He ran for a second term as Member of Legislative Assembly in 1993 but lost the election to Len Bracko.  In December 1993, Fowler’s wife Vera Fowler died.  In 1994 Richard Fowler became a family court judge.  His second marriage was to Dawne Adeline Pusher.

Richard Fowler and Gerard LeBlanc with centennial certificate for St. Albert, 1961 - Photo: Musée Héritage Museum, Richard Fowler fonds, 1998.15.70.24

City of St. Albert Transit Terminal Opening, Sept. 13, 1986 - Photo: Musée Héritage Museum, Victor Post fonds, 2012.02

Richard Fowler outside his constituency office, ca. 1990 - Photo: Musée Héritage Museum, Richard Fowler fonds, Photographed by Victor Post, 1998.15.70.111

To learn more about Fowler's contribution to our community, visit the Musée's Archives as we have his personal papers including numerous photographs and scrapbooks. A finding aid, which lists his materials at the archives, can be found here:  museeheritage.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Richard-Fowler-fonds-finding-aid.pdf.