Charles Lowell (15 August 1782 – 20 January 1861) was a Unitarian minister and a son of judge

John Lowell John Lowell (June 17, 1743 – May 6, 1802) was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, a judge of the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture under the Articles of Confederation, a United States district judge of the United States Distric ...

, as well as the father of

James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets to r ...

and Robert Traill Spence Lowell.

Biography

He was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and attended

The Roxbury Latin School The Roxbury Latin School (informally known as RL) is a private, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory, all-boys day school located in West Roxbury, Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1645 by Puritans, Puritan missionary John Eli ...

and later

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

in Andover. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1800, where he studied law and then theology. After two years in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and one year on the Continent, Lowell was, from 1806 until his death, pastor of the West Congregational (Unitarian) Church of Boston, a charge in which Cyrus A. Bartol was associated with him after 1837. From that year until 1840, he traveled extensively in Europe and the east. During the latter part of his life Lowell officiated only occasionally in his church. Lowell was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1814, and served on its board of councilors from 1820 to 1853. He married Harriet, daughter of Robert T. Spence, of

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

, an officer in the

U. S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

. Harvard gave him the degree of D.D. in 1823. He was a fellow of its corporation from 1818 until 1833. He was a member of literary societies in the United States and elsewhere. The "Proceedings" of a parish meeting that was held in his memory were published in 1861. Almost alone, he spoke out from the pulpit against slavery to Boston's elite. After passage of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, he was asked to speak at a protest rally with other abolitionists including Frederick Douglas. At the standing-room only Faneuil Hall rally to Repudiate the Fugitive Slave Law, on October 14, 1850, Reverend Lowell spoke first, and began the evening with a prayer: "May nothing be said and done here that shall not approve itself to Thee, the pure and holy God. May all things be done decently and in order, to the promotion of justice and humanity. O Thou, -who art no respecter of persons, who art love and dwelleth in love, look in mercy upon those of our brethren on whose behalf we are now assembled, fugitives from slavery. Protect and bless them, and preserve them, if it please Thee, from being returned to the house of bondage. Look in mercy upon those who are still subjected to involuntary servitude, and may the time soon come, when those who enslave them shall grant them the blessings of freedom. May the time shortly come, when this whole nation shall feel the injustice of making merchandise of human beings, and we shall act in consistency with, our profession as freemen and Christians. God of mercy, who hath made of one blood all nations, incline the hearts of all men, every where. to kindness and brotherly love; hasten the time when, without violence and bloodshed, every yoke shall be broken, and the oppressed go free; when none shall make merchandize of the souls of men; when all shall be made free in Christ Jesus, and His kingdom shall be established in every land and in every heart. Forgive our sins, O God; forgive the sins of the nation against our brethren, intelligent, moral, immortal like ourselves, and bring not down upon as the judgment we justly deserve. Spare us, good Lord, spare us! Hear us in this, our humble prayer, through thine infinite mercy."(The Liberator, Vol. XX, No. 42).

Family

He was a son of

, "The Old Judge", and half-brother of businessman

Francis Cabot Lowell Francis Cabot Lowell (April 7, 1775 – August 10, 1817) was an American businessman for whom the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, is named. He was instrumental in bringing the Industrial Revolution to the United States. Early life and education ...

. His sons included the poet

and clergyman Robert Traill Spence Lowell. His daughter was

Mary Lowell Putnam Mary Traill Spence Lowell Putnam (December 3, 1810 – June 1, 1898) was an American author. Life Mary Traill Spence Lowell was the daughter of the Unitarian minister Charles Lowell, and the sister of James Russell Lowell and Robert Traill Sp ...

. His son Charles Russell Lowell married to the writer

Anna Cabot Lowell Anna Cabot Lowell (September 29, 1811 – January 7, 1874) was an American writer. Biography Anna Cabot Jackson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1819. She married Charles Russell Lowell, Jr., son of Charles Russell Lowell, Sr. She was the mot ...

and they had a daughter who died in young age around 1850.

Works

He contributed largely to periodical literature and published many separate discourses, a volume of ''Occasional Sermons'', one of ''Practical Sermons'' (Boston, 1855), ''Meditations for the Afflicted, Sick, and Dying'' and ''Devotional Exercises for Communicants''.

Notes

References

* *

External links

*
Annotated volumes of the Massachusetts Register by Charles Lowell
is at the Harvard Divinity School Library at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...