William I. Lowthian Biography


	This biography appears on pages 457-458 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				WILLIAM I. LOWTHIAN. 

	William I. Lowthian, a successful farmer of Grant county, who has 
also been closely identified with the work of fraternal insurance 
orders, is a native of Iowa, born in Worth county on the 22d of 
September, 1860, a son of N. I. and Susan (Beighley) Lowthian. The 
paternal grandfather, Timothy Lowthian, was born ill England and became 
a resident of Canada, where his demise occurred. The maternal 
grandfather, Peter Beighley, was born in Pennsylvania but his father 
was a native of Germany. Peter Beighley followed agricultural pursuits 
and passed away in Freeborn county, Minnesota. N. I. Lowthian was born 
in Ontario on the 17th of March, 1839, and in 1856 went to Iowa. He 
owned land there and while home on a furlough from the Civil war he 
purchased land in Freeborn county, Minnesota, where he made his home 
from the close of hostilities until 1879, when he removed to South 
Dakota and took up a quarter section of land in Grant county under the 
homestead law. He took up his residence on the farm in 1880 and resided 
there until 1903, when he removed to Milbank, where he is now living 
retired. He was a member of Company I, Fifth Minnesota Volunteer 
Infantry, with which he served for three years, and participated in 
thirteen battles. He was taken sick while at the front and was confined 
for some time in a hospital. He also served as a nurse. Previous to 
going to the south he took part in the Indian fighting in Minnesota. He 
is a republican and has always taken an active part in political 
affairs. He served for two terms as a member of the state senate and 
has also held a number of township offices. Fraternally he is 
identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he is also a 
member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he 
has served as commander. He is an influential member of the Methodist 
church, whose work he supports generously. He began life as a poor boy 
but has been very successful and now owns a half section of land in 
Grant county and a residence and two lots in Milbank. He devotes his 
time to looking after his business interests. His wife was born in 
Pennsylvania in 1848 and she also survives. They have three children: 
William I.; John P., who operates an electric plant in Oregon; and 
George, a physician of Akely, Minnesota. They also reared two adopted 
daughters: Katie, the wife of Mory McMillan, of Kansas City; and Nina, 
who married Henry Bigley, a farmer of Freeborn county, Minnesota. 

	William I. Lowthian was educated in the common schools of 
Freeborn county and was reared upon the home farm. In 1881, when 
twenty-one years of age, he took up a homestead in Spink county, South 
Dakota, on which he proved up in 1883. He held it for four years, 
selling it in 1887. He removed to Grant county in 1884 and purchased a 
farm, which he still owns, and has made many improvements thereon. He 
engages in general farming and also in stock-raising, specializing in 
thoroughbred Holstein cattle, Duroc Jersey hogs and Percheron horses. 
For four years he was state secretary of the American Society of Equity 
and devoted considerable time to his duties in that connection. He was 
also a director of the American Society of Equity for one year. He 
believes thoroughly in the advantages to the farmer of cooperation and 
has served as vice president of the Terminal Elevator Association, of 
which he has been a director for four years. This is a mutual concern 
and has proved of great benefit to the farmers connected with it. The 
concern handles grain at Superior, Duluth and Minneapolis and last year 
handled more than two and a half million bushels of wheat. 

	Mr. Lowthian was married in 1883 to Miss Mary Hicks, who was born 
in Toronto, Canada, and they became the parents of five children: Frank 
W., a traveling salesman residing at Watertown; Walter I., a bookkeeper 
at Milbank; Archie N., who works in a furniture store at Milbank; Phil 
S., who is with his father on the farm; and Mary I., who is a 
stenographer and bookkeeper at Watertown. The wife and mother passed 
away in 1895 in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1903 
Mr. Lowthian was again married, Miss Lydia F. Farrell becoming his 
wife. She was born in Chicago and is a daughter of Rodgers Farrell, who 
removed to Dakota territory in 1879 and settled in Bon Homme county. He 
was a farmer by occupation. During the Civil war he served in the navy 
and throughout his life manifested a high order of patriotism, being 
willing at all times to subordinate personal aims to the public good. 
His political allegiance was given to the republican party. 

	Mr. Lowthian is a republican and for nine years has served as 
township clerk, while for several terms he has been justice of the 
peace. Fraternally he belongs to the Workmen, the Degree of Honor and 
the Yeomen and his religious allegiance is given to the Methodist 
Episcopal church. He is widely known and is recognized as one of the 
leading citizens of Grant county. As a farmer he has been very 
successful and he has also accomplished much in forwarding movements 
seeking to brine agriculturists into closer union and cooperation.