Jesse Lowe (March 11, 1814 – April 3, 1868) was the first mayor of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, serving for one year from March 5, 1857 to March 2, 1858. An important real estate agent in the early city, Lowe is credited with naming the city after the

Omaha Tribe The Omaha ( Omaha-Ponca: ''Umoⁿhoⁿ'') are a federally recognized Midwestern Native American tribe who reside on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States. There were 5,427 enrolled members as of 2012. The ...

."Biographical sketches"
''Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska - Douglas County.'' Retrieved 2/2/08.

Biography

Lowe was born in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

, and along with his brother

Enos Enos or Enosh (Hebrew: , Standard ''Enosh'', Tiberian ''ʼĔnôš''; "mortal man”) may refer to: People in religious scripture * Enos (biblical figure), a genealogical figure in the Bible. * The Book of Enos, one of the books that make up the B ...

, the family soon afterward moved to the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

, settling in Monroe County. Lowe's parents were strict

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

.Lawrence H. Larsen, Barbara J. Cottrell, Harl A. Dalstrom. (2007) ''Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs''. University of Nebraska Press. p 76. Jesse receiving his education at Bloomington College. After studying law and interning with

Tilghman Howard Tilghman Ashurst Howard (November 14, 1797 – August 16, 1844) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from Indiana. He was born near Easley, South Carolina. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1816 and was admitted to the bar there in ...

in Indiana, Lowe decided not to become a lawyer, instead serving in the

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

of a Missouri volunteer regiment under

Sterling Price Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...

. He was promoted to

Paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...

in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

served during the entire

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. In 1853 he moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa where his brother was the city's tax collector. On July 3, 1853, Lowe crossed the Missouri River with his brother

into

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

, estimating the land across from Council Bluffs was going to become a great city. Jesse Lowe staked out a quarter-section and later bought three other quarter-sections, totaling . Within a week he established the "Oak Grove Farm." Lowe was a founding member of the Omaha Claim Club in 1854, and assisted Alfred D. Jones in the first survey of the city. In 1855 he built the first bank building in Omaha at 12th and Farnam Streets in present-day

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

. Lowe also invested in the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, which was the foremost ferry company in Omaha for more than 25 years. Lowe was married to Sophia Hoppin on July 3, 1856, in Burlington, New Jersey. They had four children, including Frederick Brown Lowe, Charlotte Augusta Lowe, Jesse Lowe Jr., and Tilghman Howard Lowe. Jesse Lowe died in 1868, in Omaha. He is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha.

Legacy

Lowe's legacy is readily apparent in the city of Omaha. The Jesse Lowe Conference Room, named in his honor, was located on the third floor of the Civic Center.Conference rooms
, Douglas County. Retrieved 2/2/08.

References

External links

Historic portrait

Grave marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Jesse 1814 births 1868 deaths Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina Mayors of Omaha, Nebraska Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) 19th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links