Robert Lowry (governor)
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Robert Lowry (March 10, 1829Template:Spaced ndashJanuary 19, 1910) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 32nd governor of Mississippi from 1882 to 1890. Before entering politics, he was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.
Early life and military service
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Robert Lowry was born in Chesterfield District, South Carolina on March 10, 1829,<ref>Glory in Grey – Volume 2</ref> and was raised in Mississippi. During the American Civil War, he enlisted as a private in the Confederate States Army. He quickly received a commission in the 6th Mississippi Infantry Regiment.<ref>Eicher, p. 355.</ref> He commanded the regiment at the Battle of Shiloh, where it suffered very heavy casualties, and he was wounded.<ref>Duval, Mary V. (1887). The Students' History of Mississippi. Louisville, KY: The Courier-Journal. p. 203.</ref> In early 1864, he led the troops that were sent to put down the local uprising of citizens near Jones County, Mississippi.<ref>Coppock, Paul R. (February 3, 1980). "Lowry Brand of Bourbon". Commercial-Appeal (Memphis)</ref> Later, Lowry commanded a brigade of Mississippi regiments in the Third Corps, Army of Tennessee; in February 1865, he was finally promoted to brigadier-general. When the war was over, he returned to legal practice in Brandon. Lowry briefly served in the Mississippi State Senate after the war (1865–1866). Massive fraud in the gubernatorial election of 1881 resulted in the election of the subject over the Independent People's Party candidate, Benjamin King.<ref>Cresswell, Stephen Edward (1995). Multiparty Politics in Mississippi, 1877–1902. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 200. Template:ISBN.</ref>
Governor (1882–1890)
Between 1882 and 1890, he was the Democratic governor of Mississippi, serving two four-year terms. He could be called a Bourbon Democrat. The Farmers' Alliance movement continued to show local action in Yazoo County and most areas of the state.<ref>(1888 November 15). "Board of Supervisors" Yazoo Sentinel (Yazoo City, MS).</ref>
In September 1889, Lowry ordered the state militia to Leflore County, where organizing by the Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union sparked false rumors of an impending Black "uprising." Militia troops killed an estimated 25 Black people.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Political activity related to peonage and racial discrimination in the Mississippi delta and other areas of the state led to violence during his term of office.<ref>(1889 September 19). "More Race Troubles". Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS).</ref> Rapid industrial development occurred during his administration as well as the founding of the first state-supported women's college at Columbus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Lowry was related to J.A.W. Lowry, a lawyer and politician in Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Sources
- Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. Template:ISBN.
- Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. Template:ISBN.
- Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. Template:ISBN.
External links
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