Samuel Fowler (1779–1844)

Samuel Fowler (October 30, 1779 – February 20, 1844) was a doctor, state legislator, and member of the United States House of Representatives from northwestern New Jersey. As the owner of zinc and iron mines and an iron works at Franklin, New Jersey, he became a noted mineralogist who discovered several varieties of rare minerals (chiefly various ores of zinc).

Early life and education
Fowler was born in Newburgh, New York, on October 30, 1779. He attended the Montgomery Academy and subsequently graduated from Pennsylvania Medical College.

Career
Fowler began to practice medicine in 1800 in Hamburg, New Jersey, when he was 21 years old. He moved to the present site of Franklin, New Jersey, in 1810. It is generally accepted that Fowler was responsible for naming the town Franklin, although it is uncertain whether he named it after Benjamin Franklin or his son, William Franklin. After zinc ore was found in the area, Fowler made a serious effort to develop it.

Political career
In 1827, Fowler became a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council (precursor to the New Jersey Senate).

He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to House of Representatives, serving in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth United States Congresses (March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837).

Death and burial
Fowler died on February 20, 1844, in Franklin, New Jersey and was interred in the North Church Cemetery in Hardyston Township, New Jersey.

Legacy
Fowler was the father of Colonel Samuel Fowler (1818–1863), an officer with the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and grandfather of Samuel Fowler (1851–1919), who served in the House of Representatives from 1889 to 1893.