Henry R. Low (September 23, 1826 – December 1, 1888) was an American lawyer, judge and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

On September 23, 1826, Low was born in

Fallsburg, New York Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 14,192 at the 2020 census. (It is not to be confused with the hamlet of Fallsburg which bears a similar name and ...

, U.S. Low's father was John A. Low. Low's mother was Charlotte (Drake) Low (d. 1848).

Education

He studied law with

Archibald C. Niven Archibald Campbell Niven (December 8, 1803 – February 21, 1882) was an American politician who served one term as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New York from 1845 to 1847. Biography Born in Newburgh, New Y ...

in Monticello.

Career

Low was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in partnership with Niven. Low was a Judge and Surrogate of the Sullivan County Court from 1857 to 1861. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(9th D.) in

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

and

1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims t ...

. In November 1863, Low ran for re-election, but his former law partner Niven was declared elected. Low contested Niven's election, and was seated in the State Senate for the 88th Session on January 17, 1865. He was re-elected in 1865, and continued in the Senate in

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...

and

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

. Afterwards he resumed his law practice in

Middletown, Orange County, New York Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New Yo ...

. In 1882, he ran for Congress in the 15th District, but was defeated by Democrat

John H. Bagley Jr. John Holroyd Bagley Jr. (November 26, 1832 – October 23, 1902) was an American politician and a United States representative from New York, serving two non-consecutive terms from 1875 to 1877, and from 1883 to 1885. Biography Born in Hudson, Ne ...

Low was again a member of the State Senate (13th D.) from 1884 until his death, sitting in the 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th and

111th New York State Legislature The 111th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to July 20, 1888, during the fourth year of David B. Hill's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provi ...

s. He was President pro tempore during his last session.

Personal

In 1854, he married Mary C. Watkins (d. 1881), daughter of State Senator John D. Watkins, and they had five children. On December 1, 1888, Low died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York (state) New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, of kidney disease. He was 62. Low was buried at the Hillside Cemetery in

References

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; pg. 436 and 443f)
''Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and the Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1862 and '63''
by William D. Murphy (1863; pg. 83ff)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Henry R 1826 births 1888 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Middletown, Orange County, New York People from Fallsburg, New York New York (state) state court judges Majority leaders of the New York State Senate 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges