Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/53

 LOW

LOW

Co., the leading tea merchants of Canton, and in 1837 became a member of the firm. He re- turned to New York in 1840, established himself in the China trade, subsequently taking his brother, Josiah O. Low, into partnership, and later his brother-in-law, Edward H. R. Lyman. The firm of A. A. Low & Bros, was regarded as the leading mercantile house in the United States engaged in the China trade. He was elected a member of the New York chamber of commerce in 1846, and was its president in 1863 Slid 1866. He was treasurer of the Union defence committee of New York; a member of the war fund committee of Brooklyn, and president of the committee appointed to aid the sanitary ser- vice, 1861-65. He was president of the board of trustees of the Packer institute; a liberal con- tributor to the library and scientific apparatus of the institute: and a supporter of many charitable, religious and educational institutions in Brooklyn and New York city. He was married in 1841 to Ellen Almira, daughter of Josiah and Maria (Phippen) Dow, who died in 1850; and secondly, in 1851, to Ann Davison (Bedell) Low, widow of his brother, Willis Henry Low. His sons. Abbot, Augustus and Seth, succeeded him in business. Upon the death of his daughter Harriette in 1885, he erected the St. Phoebe Mis- si. )n in Brooklyn to her memory. Although his s)!is were Episcopalian. Mr. Low was himself a Unitarian, and the funeral services were held at the church of the First Unitarian society in Brooklyn, by the Rev. Dr. Putnam, of Concord, .N.H., former pastor of the church. He died at hi^ home in Brooklyn, N.Y., Jan. 7, 1893.

LOW, Frederick Ferdinand, governor of Cali- foinia, was born in Frankfort, Maine, June 30, 1828. He attended school at Frankfort and Hampton academy, and entered mercantile busi- ness in Boston, Mass., in 1846. He went to California in 1849 and engaged in mining; in the shipping business in San Francisco, with Henry Lambert and later with his two brothers, and removed to Marysville, Cal., in 1855 and en- gaged in banking. He was a Republican repre- «(^ntative from California in the 3Tth congress, 1861-63; was appointed collector of the port of San Francisco in 1863, and during the same year was algcted governor of California, serving 1864- 67. He was U.S. minister to Cliina, 1867-74, and at the time of the sacking of the missions and massacre of missionaries at Tien Tsin, he se- verely criticised the emperor of China and forced him to recognize the power of foreign ministers to protect their citizens engaged as missionaries, and was one of the first foreigners to be admitted into the presence of the emperor. In February, 1871, he was empowered to negotiate with the •empire of Corea for the protection of shipwrecked

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seamen, and for a treaty of commerce and navi- gation. For liis services in behalf of Catholic missions Mr. Low was publicly thanked by the pope. Upon his resignation as U.S. minister, he became chief manager of the Anglo-Californian bank. He was one of the incorporators and a director of the Calif ornian Steam Navigation company in 1854, and was interested in the cul- tivation of sugar in the Hawaiian Islands. He died in San Francisco, Cal.. July 21, 1894.

LOW, Isaac, merchant, was born in his father's mansion on the Raritan river, near New Bruns- wick, N.J., April 13, 1731; son of Cornelius, Jr., and Johanna (Gouverneur) Low; grandson of Cornelius and Margaretha (Van Borsom) Lowe,

CARPEN TeRS HALu-T- ^°^ ^f Isaac and


 * »Hii_APEi.p><iA,A Sarah (Staats)

Gouverneur; a descendant of Peter Cornel- lessen Lowe of Holstein. Ger- many, who ap- peared in Eso- jpus, N.Y., in 1659 and mar- ried Elizabeth @ J^IJ^^ -rL*!r«-T Blanchan; of

Egbert Van Borsom, a native of Amsterdam, Holland, who was in New Amsterdam (New York), in 1644, married Annekin Hendricks, and operated the ferry between New York and Brooklyn, 1655-63; and of Nicholas Gouverneur, a French refugee to Holland and thence to New Amsterdam before 1663, who married Machtelt De Reimer, daughter of Isaac and Lisbeth Gre- venraet and granddaughter of Metje Grevenraet, widow, who came from Amsterdam before 1632. Isaac Low was a partner with Abraham Lot in the importing dry goods and fur business and he built up an immense fur trade through the influ- ence of the Schuylers, and owned large tracts of land in Montgomery county, N.Y. He married Margrieta, daughter of Cornelius and Catharine (Schuyler) Cuyler of Albany, July 17, 1760, and built "an elegant mansion" on Dock Street, New York city. He was a delegate to the Stamp Act congress of 1765; made speeclies against taxation without representation; was chairman of the first and second committees of fifty to correspond with the colonies; a delegate to the general congress of all the colonies. Philadel- phia, Sept. 5, 1774, and was elected to the Continental congress to assemble May 10, 1775. On April 29, 1775, he urged the people to form a compact body " to prevent mobs, to support the civil authority and to defend the rights and lib- erties of the people against the unjust claims of the British ministry," closing his address by say-