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

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.