Jesse Lowe
Encyclopedia
Jesse Lowe was the first mayor of Omaha, Nebraska
, 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.
, and along with his brother Enos
, the family soon afterward moved to the Indiana Territory
, settling in Monroe County
. Lowe's parents were strict Quakers. Jesse receiving his education at Bloomington College. After studying law and interning with Tilghman Howard
in Indiana, Lowe decided not to become a lawyer, instead serving in the as commissary
of a Missouri volunteer regiment under Sterling Price
. He was promoted to Paymaster
in the U.S. Army served during the entire Mexican-American War. In 1853 he moved to Kanesville, Iowa where his brother was the city's tax collector.
On July 3, 1853, Lowe crossed the Missouri River
with his brother Enos
into Indian Territory
, estimating the land across from Kanesville was going to become a great city. Jesse Lowe staked out a quarter-section
and later bought three other quarter-sections, totaling 640 acres (2.6 km²). 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
. 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.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, 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.
Biography
Lowe was born in Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, and along with his brother Enos
Enos Lowe
Enos Lowe was a pioneer doctor and businessman who was among the original founders of Omaha, Nebraska and served as president of the Second Iowa Constitutional Convention.-Biography:...
, the family soon afterward moved to the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
, settling in Monroe County
Monroe County, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 137,974 people, 46,898 households, and 24,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 306 people per square mile . There were 50,846 housing units at an average density of 129 per square mile...
. Lowe's parents were strict Quakers. Jesse receiving his education at Bloomington College. After studying law and interning with Tilghman Howard
Tilghman Howard
Tilghman Ashurst Howard was a U.S. Representative from Indiana. He was born near Pickensville, South Carolina. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1816 and was admitted to the bar there in 1818. In 1830 he moved to Bloomington, Indiana and in 1833 to Rockville, Indiana...
in Indiana, Lowe decided not to become a lawyer, instead serving in the as commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
of a Missouri volunteer regiment under Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
. He was promoted to Paymaster
Paymaster
A paymaster often is, but is not required to be, a lawyer . When dealing with commission payments on contracts dealing with large amounts of money , most banks in the United States are very wary of handling such large amounts of money...
in the U.S. Army served during the entire Mexican-American War. In 1853 he moved to Kanesville, Iowa where his brother was the city's tax collector.
On July 3, 1853, Lowe crossed the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
with his brother Enos
Enos Lowe
Enos Lowe was a pioneer doctor and businessman who was among the original founders of Omaha, Nebraska and served as president of the Second Iowa Constitutional Convention.-Biography:...
into Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, estimating the land across from Kanesville was going to become a great city. Jesse Lowe staked out a quarter-section
Section (United States land surveying)
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....
and later bought three other quarter-sections, totaling 640 acres (2.6 km²). Within a week he established the "Oak Grove Farm."
Lowe was a founding member of the Omaha Claim Club
Omaha Claim Club
The Omaha Claim Club, also called the Omaha Township Claim Association and the Omaha Land Company, was organized in 1854 for the purpose of "encouraging the building of a city" and protecting members' claims in the area platted for Omaha City in the Nebraska Territory. At its peak the club included...
in 1854, and assisted Alfred D. Jones
Alfred D. Jones
Alfred D. Jones was a lawyer, surveyor and politician in the 1900s in the Midwestern United States. In 1846 he platted Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and in 1854 he platted Omaha, Nebraska...
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
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to 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
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
. 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
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Omaha)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, also known as Forest Lawn Cemetery, is located at 7909 Mormon Bridge Road in Omaha, Nebraska. It was established in 1885 when the Forest Lawn Cemetery Association was donated in northwest of the city. In 1886, the first internment in the Cemetery was the donor of the...
in Omaha.
