Hunt, Herbert and Floyd C. Kaylor.  "Washington: West of the Cascades."  Vol. 
III.  Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1917.  p. 7-8.

JAMES D. LOWMAN

	James D. Lowman is a capitalist of Seattle, whose steady progression in
business has brought him to a foremost place in the ranks of enterprising and
successful men of the northwest.  His plans have always been carefully
formulated and with unfaltering determination he has carried them forward to
successful completion.  He was born at Leitersburg, Maryland, on the 5th of
October, 1856, and in early manhood came to the northwest, establishing his home
in Seattle in 1877.  His parents were Daniel S. and Caroline (Lytle) Lowman, the
former of German lineage, while the latter came of English ancestry.  They
maintained their residence in Leitersburg during the boyhood of their son James,
who there attended the public schools until graduated from high school.  He
afterward engaged in teaching for one year but the opportunities of the growing
northwest attracted him and in 1877 he left his old home to identify his
interests with those of Washington.  He was but twenty years of age when he
arrived at Seattle, and securing the position as assistant wharf master on
Yesler's wharf, he occupied that position through four years.  In the meantime
he carefully saved his earnings, prompted by the hope of one day engaging in
business on hiw own account and after four years had  been passed in the
northwest he had a sufficient capital to enable him to purchase a half interest
in the book store of W. H. Pumphrey, thus forming the firm of Pumphrey & Lowman.
That relation was maintained for two years and at the end of that time he
purchased his partner's interest, becoming sole proprietor.  He afterward
organized a stock company, however, and took over the job printing plant of
Clarence Hanford, at which time the Lowman & Hanford Stationary & Printing
Company was formed.  Mr. Lowman has since been the president and principal
stockhold in that undertaking and the business has been developed through all
the passing years until it has become one of extensive proportions, yielding a
most gratifying profit.
	The life of Mr. Lowman has been a most active, busy and resultant one.  In
1886 recognition of his ability came to him in appointment to the position of
trustee of all of Henry L. Yesler's property and he assumed entire control and
management thereof.  That was at a period when there was widespread business
depression throughout the entire Sound country.  There was little demand for
real estate and security values had decreased to an alarming extent.  The Yesler
property was largely encumbered and it required the utmost watchfulness, care
and business ability to so direct affairs that propserity would accrue.  Seattle
knows the history of Mr. Lowman's efforts in that direction.  He recognized and
utilized every available opportunity and in a comparatively short space of time
placed the business interests of the Yesler estate upon a firm and substantial
basis, the property being greatly increased in value.  A disastrous fire
occurred on the 6th of June, 1889, destroying much of the property of the Yesler
estate, yet notwithstanding this the direction of Mr. Lowman led from apparent
defeat to victory in business management.  Moreover, the efforts of Mr. Lowman
in this and other connections have been a most important element in the
improvement and development of the city.  For the Yesler buildings he erected
three of the finest business blocks in the city and made various other
improvements elsewhere in Seattle.  He organized the Yesler Coal, Wood & Lumber
Company, built and operated a sawmill on Lake Washington, reached by the
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, and platted and laid out the town site
of Yesler.  In addition to all the onerous and extensive duties devolving upon
him in connection with those enterprises, he became administrator of Mrs.
Yesler's estate by appointment in 1887.  That Mr. Lowman is a most forceful and
resourceful business man, the public fully acknowledges.  In his vocabulary
there seems no such word as fail.  He carefull considers every question and
every phase of a business proposition before he acts upon it, but when once his
mind is made up he is determined in his course and neither obstacles nor
difficulties can bar him from his path.  He knows that if one avenue of
advancement is closed he can mark out another that will enable him to reach the
desired goal.
	Outside of the extensive Yesler interests, Mr. Lowman at the same time
developed and expanded his own private business affairs.  In addition to acting
as president of the Lowman & Hanford Stationary & Printing Company he became a
trustee and the secretary of the Denny Hotel Company, a trustee and the largest
stockholder in the Steam Heat & Power Company, was a trustee in the Guarentee
Loan & Trust Company, the James Street Electric & Cable Railway Company and the
Washington National Bank.  He was president of and a large stockholder in the
Seattle Times Company, which built the Seattle Theater immediately after the
fire, when there was no theater in the city.  With Mr. Furth he obtained a
franchise for the Stone & Webster Company, which succeeded in consolidating all
the street car lines of the city into one organization.  He also built the
Lowman building and is one of the trustees and vice president of the Union
Savings & Trust Company.
	In 1881 Mr. Lowman was united in marriage to Miss Mary R. Emery, of Seattle.
He is a member of the Rainier, Arctic, Seattle Athletic and Seattle Golf Clubs.
For three successive terms he was president of the Chamber of Commerce.  He is
widely known in the city where for thirty-eight years he has made his home, and
any student of Seattle history must recognize how important has been the part
which he was played in its upbuilding and progress.  His labors have ever been
of a nature that have contributed to public prosperity as well as individual
success and he may justly be regarded as one of the foremost promoters of this
metropolis of the Sound country.

Submitted by: Jenny Tenlen