Sir David Lowe (12 May 1899 – 3 November 1980) was a Scottish horticulturalist and businessman. He was Chairman of Elvingston Estates in

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

. In horticulture he did much to promote the

daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''Is ...

Life

He was born in

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

on 12 May 1899 the eldest son of David Lowe, Provost of Musselburgh. He was educated at Musselburgh Grammar School. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was an Observer in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

. From the 1930s onwards he proved a highly successful businessman and rose to be President of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and President of the National Farmers Union. In 1935 as a member of the

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

, describing himself as a Farmer at Burnside,

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the site of the 1745 ...

he passed pilots license taking his test taken in a

De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

Moth. In 1950 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 1961 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Stephen J Watson, Sir Edmund Hudson, Alexander M Smith, and Alan William Greenwood. He was knighted by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 1962. Also in 1962 he was appointed chairman of the

Livingston, West Lothian Livingston ( sco, Leivinstoun, gd, Baile Dhunlèibhe) is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporated ...

Town Corporation, overseeing the development of acres in Mid and West Lothian into the fourth post-Second World War new town to be built in Scotland. The first tenants to be housed by 1964. In 1966 he received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. Hus hobby was breeding rare daffodils. He acquired some of his

narcissi ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''I ...

stock from the Brodie of Brodie and he concentrated on pale yellow varieties. He died in Haddington on 3 November 1980.

Family

In 1932 he married Katherine Ross, the daughter of

Roderick Ross Roderick Ross CVO CBE KPM (24 May 1865 – 6 March 1943) was Chief Constable of Edinburgh City Police from 1900 to 1935. Ross was born in West Helmsdale in the parish of Kildonan, Sutherland, the son of a crofter. His namesake, his grand ...

CVO CBE KPM (1865–1943) the Chief Constable of Edinburgh City Police from 1900 to 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, David 1899 births 1980 deaths People from Musselburgh 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Scottish horticulturists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Deputy Lieutenants of East Lothian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire