Ralph Lowell
Encyclopedia
Major Ralph Lowell was a World War I
veteran, banker, and philanthropist from Boston
.
Ralph was born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
to John and Mary Emlen Lowell (Lowell 1899, p 302). Lowell graduated from Harvard College
in 1912. And he married Charlotte Loring (1897–1981) on September 1, 1917.
.
Ralph was appointed as the sole Trustee of the Lowell Institute
, in 1943, upon the death of his cousin, Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell. In cooperation with another Harvard President, James B. Conant, Lowell used his position at the Institute to help found the WGBH radio
and television
stations. Lowell would serve as Trustee of the Institute for the rest of his life and named his son, John Lowell, to succeed him.
Lowell died in Boston on May 15, 1978 at the age of eighty-seven and was buried in the Old Westwood Cemetery in Westwood, Massachusetts
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran, banker, and philanthropist from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Ralph was born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...
to John and Mary Emlen Lowell (Lowell 1899, p 302). Lowell graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1912. And he married Charlotte Loring (1897–1981) on September 1, 1917.
Career
Ralph Lowell chose to pursue a career in banking and finance, as his family had a long history in business and banking in Boston. He eventually became president of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company. And in 1955, Ralph received an LL.D. from Bates CollegeBates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
.
Ralph was appointed as the sole Trustee of the Lowell Institute
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
, in 1943, upon the death of his cousin, Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell. In cooperation with another Harvard President, James B. Conant, Lowell used his position at the Institute to help found the WGBH radio
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
and television
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
stations. Lowell would serve as Trustee of the Institute for the rest of his life and named his son, John Lowell, to succeed him.
- "In 1973, Lowell was one of seven citizens officially recognized as 'Grand Bostonians' for lives that 'mirrored the spirit and dignity that have made Boston and its people so extraordinary.' The years of Lowell's philanthropic and civic works paralleled significant transformations in the political, social, and cultural landscape of Boston, and his remarkable achievements reflect his key role in the making of a 'New Boston' during the mid-twentieth century." (Gelfand 1998)
Lowell died in Boston on May 15, 1978 at the age of eighty-seven and was buried in the Old Westwood Cemetery in Westwood, Massachusetts
Westwood, Massachusetts
Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,618 at the 2010 census. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its...
.