Low Memorial Library (Columbia University)
Seth Low, Brooklyn mayor, American educator, president of Columbia University, U.S. diplomat, and 92nd mayor of New York City, was responsible for the building of the Low Memorial Library at Columbia. He donated one million dollars to build the library, but had it named in honor of his father, Abiel Abbot Low.
Abiel Abbot Low was an entrepreneur who made most of his money on the China trade. He never ran for office, but served as a consultant and advisor to trade and governmental authorities. He spoke out for New York businessmen against the British, who supported Confederate ships seizing or sinking American trade ships. As a philanthropist, Low was involved with many educational, social, cultural, and religious enterprises.
Low was married twice. His first wife, Ellen Almira Dow, gave him four children, two boys and two girls. She died in 1850. Low then married his brother William Henry’s widow, Anne Davison Low. Low died in 1893.