Enoch Louis Lowe
Encyclopedia
Enoch Louis Lowe served as the 29th Governor
of the state of Maryland
in the United States
from 1851 to 1854.
, Frederick County, Maryland
. At thirteen he entered Clongowes Wood College
, Ireland, where he was schoolmates with Thomas Francis Meagher
. Three years later he matriculated at Stonyhurst College
, England, where he was friends with Francis Mahony, and Miles Gerard Keon
, the novelist. He graduated first in his class in 1839.
Studying with Judge John A. Lynch, of Frederick, he was admitted to the bar in 1842.
, who was a relative of James Knox Polk. They had eleven children, and seven children survived: Adelaide Victoire, married E. Austin Jenkins; Anna Maria, religiense of the Sacred Heart, died 1889; Paul Emelius; Vivian Polk; Victoire Vincendiere, married John M. Stubbs; Enoch Louis; Esther Polk; Mary Gorter, married Francis de Sales Jenkins.
in 1845, as a member of the Democratic National Convention
in 1856, and as a U.S. Presidential elector in 1860. Lowe took the oath of office as Governor of Maryland on January 6, 1851. The most important events of his administration were the adoption of the Maryland Constitution of 1851
; the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
to the Ohio River
, and a reduction of the state tax rate from 25 cents to 15 cents on a $100.
, and Milledgeville, Georgia
. After the war, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, joining the law firm of Richard F. Clarke and W. H. Morgan.
He was reported to be a reference in Maryland, My Maryland
.
He died at St. Mary's Hospital, Brooklyn, on August 23, 1892. He is buried at Saint Johns Cemetery, Frederick, Maryland
.
James McSherry. Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, writing to a member of his family, paid this tribute to Lowe's memory:
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
of the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1851 to 1854.
Early life
He was the only child of Bradley Samuel Adams Lowe and Adelaide Bellumeau de la Vincendiere. He was born, August 10, 1820, in the manor-house of The Hermitage, on the Monocacy RiverMonocacy River
The Monocacy River is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is long, with a drainage area of about...
, Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
. At thirteen he entered Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
, Ireland, where he was schoolmates with Thomas Francis Meagher
Thomas Francis Meagher
-Young Ireland:Meagher returned to Ireland in 1843, with undecided plans for a career in the Austrian army, a tradition among a number of Irish families. In 1844 he traveled to Dublin with the intention of studying for the bar. He became involved in the Repeal Association, which worked for repeal...
. Three years later he matriculated at Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, England, where he was friends with Francis Mahony, and Miles Gerard Keon
Miles Gerard Keon
Miles Gerard Keon was an Irish Roman Catholic journalist, novelist, colonial secretary and lecturer.-Biography:He was born on 20 February, 1821, last descendent of the Keons, of Keonbrooke, County Leitrim, Ireland; died at Bermuda on 3 June, 1875. He was the only son of Myles Gerard Keon,...
, the novelist. He graduated first in his class in 1839.
Studying with Judge John A. Lynch, of Frederick, he was admitted to the bar in 1842.
Family
In 1844 Lowe married Esther Winder Polk, of Somerset County, MarylandSomerset County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*53.5% White*42.3% Black*0.3% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*1.5% Other races*3.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, who was a relative of James Knox Polk. They had eleven children, and seven children survived: Adelaide Victoire, married E. Austin Jenkins; Anna Maria, religiense of the Sacred Heart, died 1889; Paul Emelius; Vivian Polk; Victoire Vincendiere, married John M. Stubbs; Enoch Louis; Esther Polk; Mary Gorter, married Francis de Sales Jenkins.
Political career
Lowe served as a member of the Maryland House of DelegatesMaryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
in 1845, as a member of the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1856, and as a U.S. Presidential elector in 1860. Lowe took the oath of office as Governor of Maryland on January 6, 1851. The most important events of his administration were the adoption of the Maryland Constitution of 1851
Maryland Constitution of 1851
The Maryland Constitution of 1851 was the second constitution of the U.S. state of Maryland following the revolution, replacing the Constitution of 1776. The primary reason for the new constitution was a need to re-apportion Maryland's legislature, the Maryland General Assembly...
; the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
to the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and a reduction of the state tax rate from 25 cents to 15 cents on a $100.
Civil War
He supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. During the war, he lived at Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
. After the war, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, joining the law firm of Richard F. Clarke and W. H. Morgan.
He was reported to be a reference in Maryland, My Maryland
Maryland, My Maryland
"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of the U.S. state of Maryland. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall...
.
He died at St. Mary's Hospital, Brooklyn, on August 23, 1892. He is buried at Saint Johns Cemetery, Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
.
Assessment
He was, perhaps, the greatest stump speaker of his day. ... Few young men ever had a more brilliant career in this state than Enoch Louis Lowe. ... He had the advantage of collegiate training abroad, with which was combined a pleasing address, winning speech and clear-cut, States' rights, patriotic principles.
James McSherry. Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, writing to a member of his family, paid this tribute to Lowe's memory:
The superb attainments of your father as a forensic and popular
orator were perhaps never equalled by anyone who ever lived in
this country.