The Court of Appeals of Maryland. in his absence, he transacted a considerable amount of business. Later on Mr. Fowler bore the same relation to Reverdy Johnson that he had formerly with Mr. Gwinn. He wrote the will of that great lawyer at his dictation, and Mr. Johnson devised to him a number of valuable Maryland and other books, which Judge Fowler now has and prizes highly. Judge Fowler never took to politics and never was much of a politician. His only essay in this direction was as candidate for the House of Delegates in Baltimore County in 1875, when the whole Democratic ticket was overwhelmed by the so-called " potato bug " movement. In 1882, when the terms of the judges elected iri 1867 expired, Mr. Fowler was a candidate for the office of associate judge. Judge Yellott was elected Chief Judge and Mr. Fowler associate. Seven years later, in 1889,. Judge Yellott arrived at the age of seventy years. The Legislature did not extend his term and he retired. Governor Jackson gave Judge Fowler the appointment in the spring of 1889, and in the fall of that year he was elected for the term of fifteen years over Mr. Keech. Judge Fowler married Miss Brinkley, of Baltimore. His home is at Towson. His circuit includes the counties of Baltimore and Harford, and he does a large amount of circuit duty both at Towson and Belair. Judge Fowler is an in dustrious and hard-working member of
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the court. He is a man of excellent judg ment, conservative in his views and opinions and is pre-eminently what is called a .safe judge. He is a clear reasoner artd thinker, and above all things has that exalted sense of honor and strict impartiality so eminently befitting his high office. The chamber of the Court of Appeals is in the old historic State capital, Anna polis, where Congress sat during the clos ing days of the Revolution, and where Washington resigned his commission on the 23d of December, 1783. The Court of Appeals of Maryland has been for more than a century the sure refuge of the people from political despotism, ever holding over them the shield of the Constitution. At present, as in the past, Maryland's highest court stands far above and beyond all polit ical partisanship; the boldest and most reckless " boss" or " manager" has never dared to attempt to "pack" it, or to attack its integrity. The court holds three terms a year, January, April and October, and the dockets altogether generally number about one hundred and seventy-five cases. It is estimated that one-third of the cases that come before the court are* reversed. As appears by this article, the Court of Appeals of Maryland has numbered among its members many distinguished men. The present Bench is equal to any of its pred ecessors in dignity and ability.
