| Authorised form of name | Lowther; Sir; John (1642 - ? 1706); 2nd Baronet; politician and industrialist |
| Dates | 1642 - ? 1706 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | 20 November 1642 |
| Place of death | Whitehaven, St Bees, Cumberland, England, Europe |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
Whitehaven, St Bees, Cumberland, England, Europe (20 November 1642)
Burial:
St Bees, Cumberland, England, Europe (17 January 1706) |
| Activity | Education:
School in Ilkley, Yorkshire; Balliol College, Oxford (matriculated 1657)
Career:
Deputy-Lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmoreland (1660-death); Commissioner for Assessment for Cumberland and Westmoreland (1660-1680, 1689-1690), Middlesex (1673-1679); Captain of Foot in the Militia (1661-1685); MP for Cumberland (1665-1699); planned and developed the town of Whitehaven (the first planned town since the middle ages); invested in trading voyages to Virginia and the Baltic; Shareholder in the Royal African Company (1672); Commissioner for Recusants in Cumberland (1675); Vice-Admiral of Cumberland and Westmoreland (1686-1702); Lord of the Admiralty (1689-1696); Commissioner for Greenwich Hospital (1694)
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| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 27/01/1664 |
| Proposer | Daniel Whistler |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1664, 1667-1668, 1670, 1672-1674, 1676-1678, 1680-1682, 1686, 1691
Committee and panels:
Committee for the Histories of Trades (1664) ; Committee for soliciting Fellows to contribute to the building of a Society college (1668) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Proposed on 20 January 1664 and admitted on the same day he was elected |
| Relationships | Parents: Sir Christopher Lowther, baronet, and Frances Lancaster; succeeded his father 1644
Married: Jane Woolley
Additional relatives: cousin John Lowther, first Viscount Lonsdale (FRS 1699) |
| OtherInfo | One of Lowther's primary legacies is the development of the estate of Whitehaven into a seaport with over 2,000 inhabitants by 1693. As part of this and in part due to a keen interest in furthering education, he also funded the establishment of a school at Whitehaven to teach grammar, navigation, and mathematics. He was an active member of parliament after his election and was appointed to a large variety of committees.
Lowther held shares in The Royal Adventurers into Africa, later Royal African Company (RAC). The RAC was a British trading company established by Royal Charter in 1660 which enslaved and sold African people. The company was chartered by Charles II, the founding royal Patron of the Royal Society, which was also chartered in 1660. The RAC was made up of and funded by members of the Stuart royal family and London merchants and investors many of whom were, or went on to become, Fellows of the Royal Society. The Royal Society itself held shares in the company from 1682 until 1699. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB (MP); Foster; Hunter; Henning; Davies; ODNB
References:
H G Lyons, 'The Society's First Bequest' in NR 1939 vol 2 pp 43-46 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/3853000 |
| Code | NA8004 |