William Manning Lowe (June 12, 1842 – October 12, 1882) was an American politician and Confederate Civil War veteran who served the state of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1879 and 1881 and in 1882.

Biography

William M. Lowe was born on June 12, 1842, in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended the Wesleyan University at Florence, Alabama and the University of Virginia.

Civil War

During the American Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate States Army, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Legal career

He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Huntsville. He was solicitor of the fifth judicial circuit between 1865 and 1867.

Political career

In 1870, he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, and was a delegate to the Alabama constitutional convention of 1875.

Congressional election dispute

Lowe was elected in 1878 as a Greenback to the U.S. House of Representatives, but in initial results was defeated for reelection by Joseph Wheeler in 1880, 601 votes for Lowe having been declared illegal by election judges. In a highly contentious recount that lasted over a year, Lowe successfully contested Wheeler's election and assumed the office on June 3, 1882. Lowe only served four months in Congress prior to his death.

Death and burial

Lowe died of tuberculosis at his home in Huntsville on October 12, 1882. He was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville. Following Lowe's death, Wheeler won a special election to fill the vacant congressional seat and served the remaining weeks of the term.