(Excerpt from Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln T...)
Excerpt from Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln These personal reminiscences, written in a fragmentary way by my husband during the last few months of his life, when he was confined to the house the greater part of the time, I have gathered together, feeling that the friends who knew something of his great admiration for Abra ham Lincoln would be interested. Much of it came to him from close personal observation, and at a time when it was indelibly impressed on his mind and heart. It is this that would seem to make it worth while to those who knew him best. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Thomas Lowry was the son of Samuel R. Lowry, who emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania, married Rachel Bullock and, about 1834, settled in Illinois. Thomas was born on February 27, 1843 in Logan County, Illinois, United States and reared under frontier conditions.
Lowry attended country schools and, after a journey through the West, began to read law and was admitted to the Illinois bar.
Lowry settled in Minneapolis in 1867. Blessed with a likable personality, he had established a paying practice within two years and was becoming interested in business, especially in real estate. Though the panic of 1873 affected him seriously, he not only extricated himself from the effects of the depression but was generally conceded to have been a large factor in helping Minneapolis weather the storm. Gradually his business interests so completely occupied his attention that he gave up the practice of law.
In 1875 in order to salvage his land holdings he bought, with eastern financial aid, an interest in the Minneapolis Street Railway Company, a new corporation, abandoned because of the panic. Two years later he controlled a majority of its stock. During the next decade, getting little support at home and relying upon New York capital, he struggled with his traction company, which he would gladly have sold could he have found a purchaser. He began to acquire control of the St. Paul street railways in 1882 and 1883 and, in 1891, consolidated the systems of both cities in a holding company, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, capitalized at more than twice the stock value of the two systems.
During the period of consolidation the railways were electrified and the most serious labor disturbances of his career took place. In April 1889 the lines were paralyzed in a strike caused by a wage cut and by the requirement that operatives sign an "iron clad" agreement not to join a union. Public sympathy was with the strikers and futile efforts were made to induce Lowry to arbitrate; but he showed his understanding of human nature by keeping still until acts of violence alienated public support from the strikers, who gradually capitulated. By 1890, having accumulated a comfortable fortune, he decided to retire from business and celebrated the event by a trip around the world.
On his return he found he had been elected president of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Sainte Marie Railway, which he had helped to promote. Abandoning the idea of retirement, he not only continued his direct interest in the traction company and in the railroad, but engaged in numerous other activities. He was vice-president of a bank, and carried on his real-estate operations. In 1901 he showed a lively interest for the first time in political matters by becoming a candidate for United States senator after the death of Cushman K. Davis. His defeat in the legislature offended him, and he never thereafter consented to be a candidate for any office. By 1905 his vigorous constitution had begun to show unmistakable signs of weakening. He spent the last years of his life in a vain search for health through the various resorts of the Southwest, and in writing Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln (1910), which is thirty-one pages of random notes.
Thomas Lowry was one of the most influential men in Minneapolis. He contributed significantly to the development of parks, railroads, streetcars, public libraries, church work and many other civic endeavors. He also helped found the North American Telegraph Company and the Minneapolis General Electric Company. Several sites in Minneapolis were named for Lowry because of his efforts to expand the rail system in the area.
(Excerpt from Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln T...)
On December 14, 1870, Lowry married Beatrice Goodrich, who bore him a son and two daughters.
