Chester Rowell

Chester A. Rowell (October 17, 1844 – May 9, 1912) was an American physician and politician who served as a California state senator and as mayor of Fresno. He was also a regent of the University of California.

For his nephew, see Chester Harvey Rowell.
Chester A Rowell
4th Mayor of Fresno
In office
April 26, 1909 – May 23, 1912
Preceded byEd. F. Bush
Succeeded byAlva E. Snow
Member of the California State Senate
In office
January 2, 1899 – January 7, 1907
Preceded byAlfred Joel Pedlar
Succeeded byGeorge W. Cartwright
In office
January 5, 1880 – January 8, 1883
Succeeded byPatrick Reddy
Constituency4th district (1880–1883)
16th district (1899–1903)
26th district (1903–1907)
Personal details
Born
Chester A Rowell

(1844-10-17)October 17, 1844
Woodsville, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedMay 23, 1912(1912-05-23) (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Nellie Imogene Rowell
​
​
(m. 1872; died 1884)​
ChildrenFrank Rowell
Imogene Rowell
Parent(s)Jonathan Barney Rowell, Cynthia Hay Abbott
RelativesJonathan H. Rowell (brother), Chester Harvey Rowell (nephew)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnion Army
Years of service1861-1864
RankPrivate
Unit17th Illinois Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsCivil War

Before moving to California, Dr. Rowell was a Union soldier in the Civil War mustered in the 17th Illinois Infantry along with four of his brothers.[1] He took part in several battles between 1861 and 1864, including the Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg.[2]

Dr. Rowell arrived in Fresno in 1874 to practice medicine. In September 1876, he established the Fresno Republican newspaper. It was purchased by and eventually merged into the present-day Fresno Bee.

In 1879 he was elected to the state senate in California as a Republican. The county was heavily Democratic at the time, and Rowell was the first Republican to win an election in Fresno County.[2]

In 1909 he received an overwhelming share of the vote to win the mayoral election.[3]

Rowell commissioned the construction of Fresno's first skyscraper, now known as the Rowell building. It is six stories tall and located in downtown Fresno at the southeast corner of Tulare and Van Ness streets.[4]

In 1914, Fresno commissioned Haig Patigian to create a memorial sculpture. The base of the memorial contains a relief where Rowell is shown seated at a patient's bedside. It can be found in the Fresno County Courthouse park, across the street from the Rowell family home in downtown Fresno.[5]

References
  1. "Regents of the University of California". May 28, 2004. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  2. Guinn, James Miller (1905). History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the San Joaquin Valley, California. Chapman Publishing Company. p. 1591.
  3. "Dr. Chester Rowell Is Elected Fresno's Mayor". No. Vol. 105, #134. San Francisco Call. 13 April 1909. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. Reynolds, John; Semas, Michael J. (2013). Fresno. Arcadia Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-0738596204.
  5. "Fresno County Courthouse Park Walking Tour". Retrieved 10 October 2014.


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