Born Tessa Franklin,[1] Fowler earned an MA in philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford. She subsequently worked as a researcher in the United States and England.[2] She relocated to the New Hebrides in 1958 to work as an economist for the British administration.[3] Although she moved onto Hong Kong in 1959 and then returned to England, she returned to the New Hebrides permanently in 1961.[2] She ran two trading stores and earned money from translating.[2] In 1964 she was the first person to be employed by the new Chambers of Commerce.[2] She also became a dealer of local artwork, selling to foreign museums.[3] In addition, she wrote articles for Pacific Islands Monthly and in 1971 began contributing to Nakamiel, a monthly news magazine.[4] She married an Australian builder and artist.[2]
A member of the Union of the Communities of the New Hebrides [fr] (UCHN), Fowler was elected to the municipal council of Port Vila in the 1975 local elections in a seat reserved for British nationals.[5] She was subsequently contested the Port Vila constituency for the UCNH in the November 1975 legislative elections.[5] Alongside Mary Gilu, she was one of the first two women elected to the territory's legislature.
