William O. Lowe

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William O. Lowe
Fountain City, Tennessee, U.S.
Career history
CollegeTennessee (1914–1916; 1919)
Career highlights and awards

William Oscar "Chink" Lowe (May 23, 1894 – March 12, 1949) was an American

Navy Cross during World War I, and served as the first commissioner of the Smoky Mountain Conference
.

Biography

Lowe was born on May 23, 1894, in Loudon County, Tennessee, to Jesse Grant Lowe and Margaret Anna Alexander.[1][a] His father was a teacher.[3]

Lowe was a prominent

guard for the Tennessee Volunteers football team of the University of Tennessee. He and his three brothers (Andy Lowe, J. G. Lowe, and Ted Lowe) all played for Tennessee.[4] Lowe was a substitute for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) champion 1914 team. Two years later, he was an All-Southern selection for the SIAA co-champion 1916 team.[5] He was elected captain of the next year's team;[6] however, the university suspended varsity football during 1917 and 1918 due to players being called into military service. Lowe was one of a number of American athletes in the early 20th century with the nickname "Chink"; he was referred to by that nickname in newspapers as early as November 1911.[7] In the 1980s, Lowe was selected for an 1891–1919 All Tennessee team.[8]

Lowe served in the

Navy Cross:[2][b] he shot down one German plane and disabled another, and later, on the same mission, he was attacked by five planes and still managed to complete his mission.[9]

Lowe graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1920, and practiced law in Knoxville, Tennessee.[10] He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1921.[11] In January 1927, he was unanimously elected as the first commissioner of the newly formed Smoky Mountain Conference.[12] The conference consisted of colleges mostly in East Tennessee with enrollments of up to 700 students.[13] Lowe served as commissioner until September 1941.[14] Active in politics, Lowe was the Republican candidate in the 1946 Tennessee gubernatorial election,[10] which he lost to Democratic incumbent Jim Nance McCord.

Lowe died at his home on March 12, 1949, aged 54, of heart issues.[10] He was survived by his wife and one daughter.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ The citation for Lowe's Navy Cross listed his birthplace as Athens, Tennessee.[2]
  2. ^ The decoration was the Distinguished Service Cross at the time it was awarded to Lowe, which was later retroactively changed to Navy Cross for Navy and Marine personnel.

References

  1. ^ "Delayed Birth Registrations: 1800-1900's" (PDF). Knox County, Tennessee – via knoxlib.org.
  2. ^ a b "Navy Cross - WWI - Marine Corps L-Z". homeofheroes.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021. Born: at Athens, Tennessee
  3. ^ "Record of the alumni, College of Liberal Arts, U.S. Grant University, Athens, Tennessee. 1866-1896". Ogden Bros. 1896.
  4. ^ a b "Volunteer Warrior". University of Tennessee Alumni Magazine.
  5. ^ Closed access icon "All-Southern Football Team As Picked By Sport Writers". Augusta Chronicle. December 3, 1916.
  6. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "C. H. S. Team to Meet Alumni". The Daily Journal and Tribune. Knoxville, Tennessee. November 30, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ISBN 9780880110716
    .
  9. ISBN 9780764303456
    – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b c d "W. O. 'Chink' Lowe Dies Of Heart Seizure". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 13, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "W. O. Lowe Succumbs". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 13, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Lowe Named "Landis" Of Conference". Knoxville News Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. January 7, 1927. p. 19. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Tobitt, Bill (August 13, 1939). "TWO BITS' WORTH". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Three Schools Left In Smoky". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. AP. September 17, 1941. Retrieved March 26, 2017 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

External links
Party political offices
Preceded by
John W. Kilgo
 Republican nominee for Governor of Tennessee
1946 		Succeeded by
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