Description
William Wyche Fowler was elected to the Atlanta city council in 1975, and eventually became president of the council. Upon Andrew Young’s resignation, Fowler won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1977. He served on the Ways and Means Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Fowler was also appointed as a charter member of the Intelligence Committee, and was involved with the Boland Amendment. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, defeating incumbent Republican Mack Mattingly. From 1996 to 2001, he served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia under President Bill Clinton. Fowler discusses his early work with Charles Weltner, his time as an Atlanta city councilman, his experience as a legislator in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and his appointment as ambassador to Saudi Arabia.