Alexander Goodsir Fowler was born about 1824, in Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland.

He was an architect who arrived in Montreal, Quebec from Scotland in 1857. As one of the staff of the Grand Trunk Railway, he helped plan the design and construction of the Victoria Bridge. He held the title of Superintendent of Masonry with the G.T.R. until 1861 when he took up the profession of architect and formed a partnership with Victor Roy. Their practice flourished until 1870 when Fowler opened an office under his own name. In 1880, he took his nephew James H. Bowe into partnership and they continued to work together until 1893 when the firm was dissolved. In 1894, Fowler formed another partnership with J. Rawson Gardiner and remained active until his death in 1899.

In 1853, he married Elizabeth Thomson (1828–1900). He died on January 26, 1899, in Montreal, Quebec.