[Fowler, Joseph]

     Fowler, Joseph, M. D., Buffalo, has the qualities of mind and heart which endear a man to men, and he is among those citizens of Buffalo who are widely and favorably known by their fellows. Dr. Fowler is descended on both paternal and maternal sides from the pioneer families of the State. His great-grandparents, William Fowler and Mary Weeks Fowler, and Gideon Wilber and Ruth Bathrick Wilber, were residents of what is now Saratoga county long before that district had any independent existence. His grandparents, Joseph Fowler and Margaret Vollwider Fowler, and Samuel Wilber and Sarah Emes Close Wilber, and his parents, William J. Fowler and Elizabeth Wilber Fowler, continued to make their homes where the ancestral roof had been. Dr. Fowler was born in Clifton Park township, Saratoga county, May 3, 1847. His early education was obtained in the district school and in the neighboring academy at Half Moon. At the age of eighteen the student turned teacher, and the next three years of his life were spent teaching in the little wooden school house of his native town. His residence in Buffalo began in 1869, when he entered the medical department of the University of Buffalo, from which he was graduated in 1873. His professional career has been successful. For ten years he was a member of the medical staff of the Sisters of Charity Hospital, and since 1886 has filled the office of surgeon to the Department of Police with marked ability and zeal. While giving to the demands of his profession conscientious care and indefatigable labor, Dr. Fowler has ever maintained an active interest in public affairs. An earnest Republican in political belief, he has served both his party and the city well. In 1881 he was the successful Republican candidate for coroner and filled the [518][519] office for three years. On many occasions his name has been considered by the party in connection with important offices, and in 1889 he was its nominee for superintendent of education. Neither professional cares, party obligations nor public duties have prevented Dr. Fowler from taking an important part in forming and maintaining professional and fraternal organizations, and much of his leisure time is spent in promoting their interests. He is a member of several medical societies and clubs, a Mason of high degree, a prominent Odd Fellow and an active member of many other fraternal orders.