Wyche Fowler: A Political Life in Georgia, Congress, and Abroad

By R. William Johnstone

R. William Johnstone examines Wyche Fowler's career in winning election to and serving in the U.S. House and Senate, including his pivotal role in the Nicaragua Contra war and the 1990 budget summit. Fowler's Congressional career is contextualized via his early life and years in Atlanta politics and his subsequent work, especially as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. His legislative accomplishments included updating and improving the nation's historic preservation policy; reforming agricultural, forestry, and rural programs; obtaining federal funding for projects throughout Georgia; jump-starting federal support for renewable energy; and promoting American leadership in space. His multi-year effort to strengthen Congressional oversight of covert operations helped to expose the excesses revealed in the Iran-Contra affair. The Georgian helped pass such landmark bills as the Social Security Amendments of 1983, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881469696
• ISBN13: 9780881469691
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Mercer University Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A compelling inside perspective on vital public debates, then and now

Fowler and Johnstone worked at the heart of democratic politics from the civil rights era into the new millennium. It’s a boon to share in their legendary campaigns from Georgia to the US House and Senate; the one-man, one-vote coalitions and tugs-of-war that spread nationwide from the Fifth District, which Fowler represented; the quest for Congressional oversight of covert actions that helped expose the Iran-Contra scandal; legislative tax and entitlement controversies that persist today; alternative energy and conservation measures now under challenge; the polarizing Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas; US-Saudi diplomacy in an age of terrorism; and the political arts involved. Offering a lucid, inside perspective on a time of profound change in the South and Nation, this work informs our debates on vital choices, then and now.