Sir David Lowe (12 May 1899 – 3 November 1980) was a Scottish horticulturalist and businessman. He was Chairman of Elvingston Estates in

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

. In horticulture he did much to promote the

daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', '' ...

Life

He was born in

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...

on 12 May 1899 the eldest son of David Lowe, Provost of Musselburgh. He was educated at

Musselburgh Grammar School Musselburgh Grammar School a state-funded secondary school in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. It serves as the main secondary school for Musselburgh and the surrounding areas of Wallyford and Whitecraig. The school dates back to the sixt ...

. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was an Observer in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

. From the 1930s onwards he proved a highly successful businessman and rose to be President of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and President of the National Farmers Union. In 1935 as a member of the

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

, describing himself as a Farmer at Burnside,

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( , Scots: ''The Pans'') is a mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first ...

he passed pilots license taking his test taken in a

De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...

Moth. In 1950 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 1961 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were Stephen J Watson, Sir Edmund Hudson, Alexander M Smith, and

Alan William Greenwood Alan William Greenwood Order of the British Empire, CBE FRSE (29 June 1897 – 4 May 1981) was an Australian zoologist and geneticist, who helped pave the way to creating Dolly (sheep), Dolly the Sheep. He served as director of the Roslin In ...

. He was knighted by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1962. Also in 1962 he was appointed chairman of the

Livingston, West Lothian Livingston (, ) is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war New towns in the United Kingdom, new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from Livingston Village, a village of the same name ...

Town Corporation, overseeing the development of acres in Mid and West Lothian into the fourth post-Second World War new town to be built in Scotland. The first tenants to be housed by 1964. In 1966 he received an honorary doctorate (DSc) from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. Hus hobby was breeding rare daffodils. He acquired some of his

narcissi ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''I ...

stock from the Brodie of Brodie and he concentrated on pale yellow varieties. He died in Haddington on 3 November 1980.

Family

In 1932 he married Katherine Ross, the daughter of Roderick Ross CVO CBE KPM (1865–1943) the Chief Constable of Edinburgh City Police from 1900 to 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, David 1899 births 1980 deaths People from Musselburgh 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Scottish horticulturists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Deputy lieutenants of East Lothian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire