“From the Archives” — Judge Enoch Magruder Lowe
Enoch Magruder Lowe (1832-1879) was the first Catholic judge serving the Alexandria Corporation Court. He also was the first Catholic judge serving in Alexandria’s court system. Lowe was born in Alexandria, studied law and was appointed the U. S. Attorney for the State of Kansas. When the Civil War began, he returned to the South and enlisted with the Confederate Quartermaster’s Department in North Carolina. After the war, he returned to Alexandria and his law practice. He was soon appointed to the Corporation Court, which heard all criminal and civil cases in 19th-century Alexandria. Judge Lowe died in 1870, when he was only 46 years old.
Judge Lowe was a popular citizen of Alexandria and active Saint Mary parishioner, very involved with the Catholic Beneficial Society and other charitable endeavors. His coffin featured a glass lid, so he could be viewed by the large throng of mourners who attended his funeral. He and his wife, Mary, who preceded him in death, are buried in Saint Mary Cemetery. His tombstone bears the inscription “Tried, Trusted and True.”
— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.