Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-09-18
GREAT FIGURE IS.
DEAD WHEN SETH
LOW PASSES AWAY

be great publicist and former mayor Of
Brooklyn and New York, died last
night, after lengthy illness at Bed
ford Hills, N. Y, his summer home. He
was twice mayor of Brooklyn, once
mayor of New York, and for eleven
years was president of Columbia Uni
versity. In each of these offices he be-
came distinguished for public service,
and he was known throughout the
country as leading figure in New
York City life.
Born in Brooklyn, January IS, 1850,
he came of long line of merchant
princes and men of culture. His
grandfather, for whom he was named,
was a Harvard-bred merchant, who,
previous to his settlement in New York
old prosperous business in Salem,
founded big business in the import
alton of tea and silk in New York, and
at one time had fleet of more than
dozen clipper ships engaged in the
China trade.
Young Low was educated at the
Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, and
then at Columbia, from which he was
graduated in 1870 at the age of twenty.
In college he had been distinguished
both as a student and an athlete. He
excelled in tennis and bootball, bowl
ing and billiards, and on the gridiron
he owten lined up against the hercu-
lean form of Hamilton Fish.
On leaving Columbia, Mr.. Low went
to his fathers business house, entering
as clerk and traversing all the grades
until he was finally head of the firm.
In the meantime he became greatly in
terested in public life, particularly in
Brooklyn charities. In 1878, he organ
lied and became the first president OF
the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities,
which was one of the first societies or
ganized for the proomtion of co-opera-
ton and the prevention of waste AMI
imposition in charity service.
In National Politics.
1t was during the campaign of Gar
field for president, in 1880, that Mr.
Low first became prominent in politics
A Young Republican club" was organ
lied in Brooklyn to promote the Gar
field campaign, and Mr.. Low was Sc
lected as president of the club. Num-
cipal affairs in Brooklyn were at that
time in a bad way, suffering from the
wave of extravaganza and corruption
that had been set in motion by the
Tweed ring in New York. Mr. Low
and his club insisted that the improve
ment of civic government could be ac-
complished only by disregarding party
lines and national issues so far as mu-
nicipaI affairs were concerned. The
principle at that time was new one,
ard Mr. Lowe leadership in the move
ment resulted in his election as mayor
of Brooklyn by the regular republican
and Independent forces. In 1883 re
was reelected for a second term. He
stood squarely and insistently for busi-
ness principles in local affairs and he
carried the municipal administration
in Brooklyn to such high point of eff
cheney that he was almost universally
praised He was remarkably self-re-
liant and fearless. 1t is said that when
he was elected mayor he demanded OF
the men whom he named for the most
important heads of departments a
pledge that each would hold his resig-
nation momentarily subject to the call
Ct the mayor. 1t was an unprecedented
demand, and it illustrates his high
sense of responsibility during his ad
ministration.
Mr.. Low married in 1880, Miss Ar
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