Nicholas Low

Nicholas Low was born in the Raritan Landing section of Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey and was the younger brother of Isaac Low.[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsmss/umich-wcl-M-692low?view=text Finding aid for Nicholas Low Collection, 1776-1863], William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan. Accessed November 24, 2013. "Nicholas Low was born in Raritan Landing, New Jersey, on March 30, 1739, the son of Cornelius Low, Jr., and Johanna Gouverneur." Low's family was descended from German, Dutch and French Huguenot settlers.{{cite book |last1=Ingham |first1=John N. |title=Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders |date=1983 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313213625 |page=826 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzxy3pejsdoC&pg=PA826 |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Nicholas Low papers, 1773-1897 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/mm81030627/ |website=www.loc.gov |publisher=The Library of Congress |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}} Their father, Cornelius Low Jr., was a well-established merchant and shipper who had brought prominence to the community of Raritan Landing. The elder Low also had built the Cornelius Low House, a magnificent 1741 Georgian mansion.{{cite web |url=http://co.middlesex.nj.us/culturalheritage/museum.asp |title=Cornelius Low House / Middlesex County Museum |access-date=2008-10-16 |quote=Cornelius Low was a leading citizen of Raritan Landing, a port community on the Raritan River in central New Jersey that flourished between 1720 and 1835. |publisher=Middlesex County, New Jersey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016042835/http://www.co.middlesex.nj.us/culturalheritage/museum.asp# |archive-date=2008-10-16 |url-status=dead }}

Like his brother, Nicholas became a prominent merchant (Low & Wallace) in New York before the revolution. Unlike Isaac, he remained a supporter of the rebel cause during the American Revolution.

Low became active in civic and state affairs for a decade. A power vacuum was created in the city when the Loyalist population, including his brother Isaac, left with the British Army evacuated in 1783.

Nicholas served in the New York State Assembly from 1787 to 1789 as part of the 11th{{refn|group=lower-alpha|As a member of the 11th New York State Legislature, he represented New York County alongside Evert Bancker, Nicholas Bayard, David Brooks, Richard Harison, Daniel Nivin, Comfort Sands, Richard Varick, and Gulian Verplanck.}} and 11th New York State Legislatures.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|As a member of the 12th New York State Legislature, he represented New York County alongside William W. Gilbert, Richard Harison, Nicholas Hoffman, Henry Brockholst Livingston, Alexander Macomb, Comfort Sands, Gulian Verplanck, and John Watts Jr.}} He attended the state's 1788 convention that ratified the United States Constitution.{{cite book |last1=Hough |first1=Franklin Benjamin |title=The New York Civil List: Containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time |date=1858 |publisher=Weed, Parsons and Co. |page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkcivillis00houggoog/page/n139 113] |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkcivillis00houggoog |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}}

In the turmoil that followed the revolution, Low acquired several large tracts of land in upstate New York. At first these were purchased as speculations, but Low turned his attention to their development. He laid out townsites and divided his holdings to sell both land and lots. He is particularly tied with the early development of the City of Watertown and the Town of Lowville.

In later years, Low turned his attention to developing his own properties. He built the Sans Souci hotel and factories in the Town of Ballston (Saratoga County). Low Street in Ballston Spa is named after him.{{cite web |title=Low, Nicholas (1739-1826), merchant and speculator |work= American National Biography |year= 2000 |url=http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1002149|publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1002149 |last1= Patrick |first1= Sue C. |isbn= 978-0-19-860669-7 }}

Late in life, Nicholas married Alice Halliburton (d. 1818). Together, the couple had three children:{{cite book|last1=Hough|first1=Franklin Benjamin|title=A history of Lewis County, in the state of New York|date=1860|publisher=Munsell & Rowland|location=Albany|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorylewisco01houggoog/page/n157 135]–137|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorylewisco01houggoog|access-date=June 27, 2017}}

• Ann Low (1779–1823), who married John Johnstone, descendant of New York mayor John Johnstone.{{cite web |title=Nicholas Low papers, 1781-1811 {{!}} Louisiana Research Collection |url=https://specialcollections.tulane.edu/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=190 |website=specialcollections.tulane.edu |publisher=Tulane University |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}}
• Cornelius Low (1786–1849), who served as a Federalist in the 26th New York State Legislature.{{cite book |last1=Assembly |first1=New York (State) Legislature |title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York |date=1910 |page=75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dfc1AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA75 |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}}
• Nicholas Low Jr. (1797–1859)
• Henrietta Liston Low (1799–1882), who married Charles King (1789–1867), son of U.S. Senator Rufus King.{{cite web|last1=Hamm|first1=Margherita A.|title=Famous Families of New York|url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/ny/state/bios/ffny/king.txt|website=usgwarchives.net|publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons|access-date=21 February 2017|date=1917}}

Low died in 1826 at his home in New York City.[http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/low.html Nicholas Low Papers Supplement,1724-1828] (New-York Historical Society)

Through his daughter Henrietta,{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Secretary |date=1904 |publisher=Underhill Society of America |pages=33–34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ye8UAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6-PA34 |access-date=20 June 2018 |language=en}} he was the grandfather of Anne Johnstone King (1827–1891); Cornelius Low King (1829–1893), who married Julia Ellen Lawrence (1832–1862), and later, Janet De Kay (1839–1896); Henrietta Low King (b. 1833); Gertrude Wallace King (b. 1836); Mary Alsop King (1839–1894), who became a writer and who married William Henry Waddington (1826–1894); and Augustus Fleming King (1841–1862), who died during the Civil War.{{cite web|title=Augustus Fleming King {{!}} The Columbia University War Memorial|url=http://www.warmemorial.columbia.edu/augustus-fleming-king|website=www.warmemorial.columbia.edu|publisher=Columbia University|access-date=21 February 2017|language=en}}

;Notes

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;Sources

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• [http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/low/index.html The Nicholas Low Papers Supplement 1784-1829] at the New-York Historical Society
• [https://specialcollections.tulane.edu/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=190 Nicholas Low papers, 1781-1811 | Louisiana Research Collection] at Tulane University
• {{find a Grave|144618047}}

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Category:1739 births

Category:1826 deaths

Category:Members of the New York State Assembly

Category:People from Piscataway, New Jersey

Category:Cuyler family

Category:Merchants from colonial New York

Category:18th-century American merchants

Category:18th-century members of the New York State Legislature