Members of Congress 1774 to Present:

DOWDY, Charles Wayne, 1943-
DOWDY, Charles Wayne, a Representative from Mississippi; born in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia, July 27, 1943; attended the public schools; graduated from Gulfport High School, Gulfport, Miss., 1961; B.A., Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss., 1965; LL.B., Jackson School of Law, Jackson, Miss., 1968; admitted to the Mississippi bar in 1969 and commenced practice in McComb; city judge, McComb, 1970-1974; mayor, McComb, 1978-1981; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-seventh Congress by special election, July 7, 1981, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jon Clifton Hinson; reelected to the three succeeding Congresses (July 7, 1981-January 3, 1989); was not a candidate for reelection, but was an unsuccessful nominee in 1988 for the United States Senate; is a resident of McComb, Miss. Source

DOWDY, John Vernard, 1912-
DOWDY, John Vernard, a Representative from Texas; born in Waco, McLennan County, Tex., February 11, 1912; spent early years of his youth in Rusk, Tex.; graduated from high school in Henderson, Tex., in 1928; attended the College of Marshall (now East Texas Baptist University) 1929-1931, then undertook the private study of law and worked as a court reporter 1931-1944; admitted to the bar in 1940 and began practice in Athens, Tex.; district attorney, third judicial district of Texas, 1945-1952; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-second Congress, by special election, September 23, 1952, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Tom Pickett; reelected to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from September 23, 1952, to January 3, 1973; was not a candidate for reelection in 1972 to the Ninety-third Congress; is a resident of Athens, Tex. (h)
Source

Entertainment

Dowdy, Linda Cress - Creator and owner of "Barney", the purple dinosaur for children.
Dowdy, Bill - Jazz drummer in the 1950s and 60s
Dowdy, Richard - Writer for the TV show "X- Files"

Dowdey Jr., Clifford Shirley - famous author of many books about Virginia history, Civil War era, and biographies. Famous for his definitive biography on Robert E. Lee. He was born January 23, 1904 in Richmond Virginia to Clifford Shirley Dowdy Sr. Attended Columbia University. Dowdey claimed in a brief bio for his Lee's Last Campaign that he descended from mid-nineteenth century Irish immigrant who descended from the ancient O'Dowda clan of County Galway. This descent (at least the timing) is not true. His father apparently descended from the Dowdy family of Cumberland County Virginia originating there as early as the 1750s and who named several males "Shirley" Dowdy over time. However, a John B. Dowdey appears in Jefferson Ward of Richmond age 30 single, born Ireland in the Henrico Co 1870 census.

1880 Henrico Census
C. S. Doughty b 1871 VA (in HH of widowed mother Ann E. Doughty. Occupation boarder)

1900 Henrico Census
Clifford W. Dowdy b Mar 1872 VA (in HH of Joseph Brothers and wife Annie E, she born 1854 - listed as stepson). Father and mother listed as born VA.

1910 Henrico Census
Clifford S. Dowdy b VA (with son Clifford S. Shirley in HH).

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
East Carolina University, Greenville North Carolina

In April, 1994, Ron & Mary Ellen Dowdy of Orlando announced a $1 million gift to the ECU Educational Foundation, which would also contribute to the stadium’s continuing renovations. Ron Dowdy, class of 1966, is a member of the Board of Trustees, who runs Dowdy Properties, a real estate company in the Orlando Area. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Citrus Sports Association, the Board of Directors for the Florida Citrus Bowl, etc.. For their gift, the stadium was renamed Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that year. (Wikipedia)

Military

Dowdy, Betsy - In December 1775, Eastern NC teenager Betsy Dowdy rode her horse 50 miles and warned General Skinner that the British were coming. Story also told in Wonder Woman comics in 1959

Academia

Lewis Carnegie Dowdy - inaugurated on April 10, 1964 as the sixth president of North Carolina A&T University and reappointed chancellor in July 1972, thus making him the first chancellor of the university. A native of Eastover, South Carolina, Dr. Dowdy graduated cum laude from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, earned the master’s degree from Indiana State College and the doctorate of education degree from Indiana University. See Full Bio and Genealogy