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

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, 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 are a federally recognized Midwestern Native American tribe who reside on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States. The Omaha Indian Reservation lies primarily in the southern part of Thurston Co ...

."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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, and along with his brother Enos, the family soon afterward moved to the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by an organic act that President of the United States, President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an Historic regions of the United States, organized incor ...

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

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

.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 Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...

. 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 primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

served during the entire

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. In 1853 he moved to

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

where his brother was the city's tax collector. On July 3, 1853, Lowe crossed the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

with his brother Enos into

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, 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 The Omaha Claim Club, also called the Omaha Township Claim Association(1954 ''Omaha's First Century''. Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 7/14/07. and the Omaha Land Company, was organized in 1854 for the purpose of "encouraging the building of a city"Mo ...

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, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east ...

. 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 is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

. 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 may refer to: Cemeteries California * Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of cemeteries in southern California * Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City), California * Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), California * Fore ...

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 19th-century mayors of places in Nebraska People from Nebraska Territory Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina Mayors of Omaha, Nebraska Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) Businesspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links