Arizona republican., 1916-09-18

Brooklyn, once mayor of New York, and for eleven years was president of Columbia University. In each of these offices he became distinguished for public service and he was known throughout the country as one of the leading figures in New York City life. Born in Brooklyn, January IS, 1850, he came of a 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, did a prosperous business in Sa- lem, Mass His father, Abiel Abbott Low, founded a big business in the importation of tea and silk in New York and at one time had a fleet of more than a dozen clipper ships en- gagged 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 twen- ty. In college he had been distin- guished both as student and an ath- lete. He eXcelled in tennis and foot ball, bowling and billiards, and on the gridiron he often lined up against the herculean form of Hamilton Fish pr. Barnard, the then president of the col lege, was particularly attracted by ung Lows work and personality, and in the spring of Lows senior year. the president spoke thus of him in letter to a friend: T have just been having a long talk with young Low, the first scholar in college. and the most manly young fellow we have had here for many a year"
 On leaving Columbia, MT. Low went to his fathers business house. enter ing as a clerk and trayersing all the grades until he was finally head of the firm. In the meantime he became greatly interested in public life, par ticularly in Brooklyn charities. Ir 1878, he organized and became the first president of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities, which was one of the first societies organized for the pro- motion of cooperation and the proven tion of waste and imposition in char. ity service
 It was during the campaign of Gar field for president. in 1880. that MT Low first became prominent in poll tics. A Young Republican Club" wal organized in Brooklyn to promote thu Garfield campaign and MT. Low wa selected as president of the club. Mu nicipal affairs in Brooklyn were a that time in bad way. sufferinj from the wave of extravaganza an, corruption that had been set in motioi by the Tweed ring in New York. NIT Low and his club insisted that the i'm provement of civic government coul be accomplished only by disregardin party lines and national issues so ia as municipal affairs were concerned The principle at that time was ne' one and MT Lows leadership in tn movement resulted in his election a mayor of Brooklyn by the regular Re publican and independent forces. 1883 he was reelected for secon term. He stood squarely and insist ently for business principles in locs affairs and he carried the. tnunicips administration in Brooklyn to such high point of efficiency that he wa almost universally praised. He va remarkably self reliant and fearless. is said that when he was elected may or he demanded of the men whom named for the most important head of the departments a pledge that eac would hold his resignation momentaI fly subject to the call of the mayor. was an unprecedented demand, and illustrated his high sense of respons bility during his administration.
 On the expiration of his second ter in Brooklyn, MT. Low spent sever years in European travel and stud
 
 interested alumnus of Columbia ar had been on the board of trustee since 1881. In 1890, in his fortiet year he was rendered the president of the university He made no pr tentiOns of being an educator in u technical or professional sense but decided to accept the call His admin istration was a brilliant one. A sti dent of men, rather than of books, was notably a man of great executi' and organizing ability. and a financi of keen insight and sound judgmer It was during his administration tn the university moved from down tov to its present commanding site, cove ing four city squares on MOrningsi Heights. Through his influence ma large gifts of money were attracted the university, and he himself gave million dollars for the erection of t stately library building which is a m morial to his father.
 He brought about the coordinati of the various schools that now ma up the university and founded University Council which made { sphere of university influence inclu nearly 5000 students and nearly names on the roster of instructors.
 Asked what he considered the gre; est need of American colleges and LII versailles today. MT. Low once sa Each college has it's specific ne When | was in Chicago l urged university in that city to become
 authority on railroads, since 1t situated in the greatest railroad e ter in the country. While at Jof Hopkins, I said that university sho give it's attention to the negro probl for which it's geographical locat