Daniel Drake (1785-1862)
Physician and educator who founded the Medical College of Ohio in 1820. John J. Lowry was educated at the school.
John Jefferson Lowry (1780-1863) was born in Philadelphia and attended the Medical School of Ohio in Cincinnati. He lived for a time in St. Louis before moving to the Boonslick, first at Old Franklin and finally at Fayette. He practiced medicine for many years in Howard County, but "appeared at times to be more politician than physician." [McCandless, Missouri 1820-1860, 218] In his politician role, served as Vice-President of the 1855 Lexington Convention. [Craik, Southern Interest, 373]
The "Central Clique" controlled the Democratic Party in Missouri after the 1840 election, with all nine members of the state central committee living in the Boonslick. Lowry was named first chairman of the reorganized party. Its central committee had full power to fill vacancies, so a "perpetual Boonslick oligarchy" was created. [Phillips, Missouri's Confederate, 101]
When the Bank of Missouri was created by the Missouri General Assembly in 1837, Lowry was made first president of the Fayette branch, to which the St. Louis headquartered bank " was required to set aside one-tenth of all capital stock received...and had no power to withdraw these funds." The Central Clique "made sure to allow (the Fayette branch) special powers and latitude." [Phillips, Missouri's Confederate, 85]
Lowry also played an important part in education in Missouri. I830, he was a member of the Governor's commission to formulate a "common school system for Missouri" and in 1839 he was appointed to the first board of curators of the University of Missouri. [Houck, History of Missouri, 251]
