John Lowell

John Lowell (October 18, 1824 – May 14, 1897) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the First Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Education and career

Born on October 18, 1824, in Boston, Massachusetts, Lowell received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1843 from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Laws in 1845 from Harvard Law School. He entered private practice in Boston from 1846 to 1865. He was editor of the Monthly Law Reporter from 1856 to 1860.

Federal judicial service

Lowell was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln on March 11, 1865, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated by Judge Peleg Sprague. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 11, 1865, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 9, 1879, due to his elevation to the First Circuit. His parents were first cousins, both having as their paternal grandfather, Judge John Lowell (1743–1802); Susan Cabot Lowell < Francis Cabot Lowell < Judge John Lowell > John Lowell Jr. (lawyer) > John Amory Lowell. He was the father of James Arnold Lowell (1869-1933), and grandfather of Ralph Lowell through his eldest son John (1856–1922).