Background
Nicholas Low was born on March 30, 1739 near New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, the son of Cornelius, Jr. , and Johanna (Gouverneur) Low.
Nicholas Low was born on March 30, 1739 near New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, the son of Cornelius, Jr. , and Johanna (Gouverneur) Low.
As a young man Low was a clerk in the establishment of Hayman Levy, prominent New York pre-Revolutionary merchant, who assisted him in going into business on his own account. Low attained considerable prominence as a member of the important mercantile firm of Low & Wallace. He was likewise interested in finance and industry. In 1784 he was one of the committee appointed to receive subscriptions for stock of the Bank of New York and was elected a director in 1785. He was also a director of the branch of the Bank of the United States.
Unlike his brother, Isaac, who joined the Loyalist ranks at the outbreak of the Revolution, Nicholas espoused the cause of independence. He was elected to the Assembly and was a Federalist member of the state convention which met at Poughkeepsie in 1788 and adopted the federal Constitution. In later life his chief interest was in the role of proprietor and land speculator. His real-estate transactions in New York City were conducted on an extensive scale. He possessed extensive tracts of land in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis counties in New York state. In the summer of 1814, at seventy-five, he joined the "New York Hussars" to defend New York from possible bombardment by the British.
Low was an active Federalist and he strongly supported the project for the Black River Canal and for a connection between Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence.
Low was a member of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures at Paterson, New Jersey.
Low had married, late in life, Alice Fleming, a widow, by whom he had three children.