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Frederick F. Low

Republican

Picture of Frederick F. Low
californiagovernors.ca.gov
Date Party Office Votes Result
09-04-1861 Republican CD-AL 39060 Win
09-02-1863 Union Governor 64283 Win
Website: bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000469
 

Candidate Biography:

Born: June 30, 1828 in Frankfort, Maine
Married: Molly Creed Low
Died: July 21, 1894 in San Francisco, CA

1861: [Republican] Primary Candidate for Controller (Lost)
1863: Collector of the Port of San Francisco
1868: Honorary Regent, University of California
1869-1874: U.S. Minister to China

  • As the Governor at the time of it's creation, Low has been identified as the "Father of the University of California"
  • Low was the first Republican Congressman from California.
  • QUOTABLE: "The financial condition of the State demands serious attention, and the immediate adoption of measures which shall not only provide for necessary current expenditures, but by which the floating debt shall be surely extinguished and our affairs be placed upon a cash basis." (1863)
  • QUOTABLE: I believe that these are times in which men of intelligence, energy, conscience and courage should alone be placed in positions of trust and influence. It will be my aim to appoint such, and none others, to the few places I am charged with filling, to the exclusion of drones whose small talents and less energies are usually exhausted in efforts to obtain places which they are not competent to fill." (1863)
  • QUOTABLE: "The veto power conferred by the Constitution upon the Governor should be used with caution, and only in cases where to refrain would be detrimental to the best interests of the State." (1863)
  • QUOTABLE: "It seems that but few offenders have been sent to our State Reform School. From this it would appear, either that there are very few boys in the State, outside of San Francisco, requiring the discipline of such a school, or very few men who attend to the duty of sending them there" (1863)
  • QUOTABLE: "The cause of education must always be regarded as of the very first importance by those who desire the perpetuation of our free republican system of government. The right of the people to govern themselves is of no value unless coupled with the capacity to govern themselves well. It is essential, then, that all classes of the community should enjoy the benefits of a liberal and enlightened educational system." (1863)

Source: "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present" (U.S. Library of Congress) [http://bioguide.congress.gov/]