Seth Low
| Seth Low | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 92ndMayor of New York City | |
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In office January 1, 1902 – December 31, 1903 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Anderson Van Wyck |
| Succeeded by | George Brinton McClellan, Jr. |
| 11th President of Columbia University | |
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In office 1890–1901 |
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| Preceded by | Frederick A.P. Barnard |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Murray Butler |
| 23rd Mayor of Brooklyn | |
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In office January 1, 1881 – December 31, 1885 |
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| Preceded by | James Howell |
| Succeeded by | Daniel D. Whitney |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 18, 1850 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | September 17, 1916 (aged 66) Bedford Hills, New York |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Wroe Scollay Curtis |
| Parents | Abiel Abbot Low and Ellen Almira Dow |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Seth Low (January 18, 1850 – September 17, 1916) was an American educator and political figure who served as mayor of Brooklyn, as President of Columbia University, as diplomatic representative of the United States, and as 92nd Mayor of New York City. He was a leading municipal reformer fighting for efficiency during the Progressive Era.
Seth Low was the son of Abiel Abbot Low and Ellen Almira Dow. Low's father was a leading China trader, and his father's sister, Harriet Low, was one of the first young American women to live in China. The Low family was old Puritan New England stock, descended from Thomas Low of Essex County, Massachusetts. Low was named after his grandfather Seth Low (1782–1853) who moved with his son Abiel to Brooklyn to start a prosperous importing company. When Brooklyn was incorporated as a city in 1834, Seth the elder was one of the incorporators; he also served on the Board of Aldermen and was first President of the Board of Education. Seth the elder was also involved with charity and support work for the poor; on his deathbed, he admonished his three-year-old grandson and namesake: "Be kind to the poor."
Seth's father was a Unitarian, and his mother was an Episcopalian. For years, Seth wavered between the two faiths. Finally, at age 22, Seth decided he would henceforth be an Episcopalian.
Low attended Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn and Columbia College. After graduating from Columbia in 1870, Low made a short trip abroad, and then entered the tea and silk house of A. A. Low & Brothers, which had been founded by his father in New York. In 1875, he was admitted a member of the firm, from which, upon its liquidation in 1888, he withdrew with a large fortune. On December 9, 1880 he married Anne Wroe Scollay Curtis of Boston, daughter of Justice Benjamin R. Curtis of the United States Supreme Court. They had no biological children, but adopted two nieces and a nephew.
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