Albert Peter Low

Albert Peter Low
A.P. Low and party on a hauling picnic up Lake Winokapau, Hamilton River (now the Churchill River), Labrador, 1894.
Born	May 24, 1861 Montreal, Canada East
Died	October 9, 1942(1942-10-09) (aged 81) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	McGill University
Occupation(s)	geologist, explorer and athlete
Known for	Arctic explorations of 1893–1895

Albert Peter Low (May 24, 1861 – October 9, 1942) was a Canadian geologist, explorer and athlete. His explorations of 1893–1895 were important in declaring Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic, and eventually defining the border between Quebec and Labrador.^[1]

Biography

Albert Peter Low was born in Montreal, Canada East,^[2] and attended McGill University, graduating in 1882. He moved to Ottawa, Ontario to work as a surveyor and explorer with the Geological Survey of Canada. Low was recognized by senior officials for his excellent work and handed a series of scientific assignments in the North. Although his career is dotted with distinguished work, Low is perhaps best remembered as the commander of a 1903-04 Dominion expedition to declare Canada's authority over the Arctic, a journey that resulted in a bestselling book, The Cruise of the Neptune. In 1906, he was appointed director of the Geological Survey of Canada. In 1907, he became the first deputy minister of the Department of Mines. He retired from the department in 1913. He died in Ottawa in 1942.

Low was also an athlete, and he played ice hockey for two famous teams, the McGill University Hockey Club, considered the first organized hockey club in the world, and the Ottawa Hockey Club. In 1883, he played goaltender for the victorious McGill Hockey Club in the 1883 Montreal Winter Carnival. The championship is considered the first Canadian championship. After moving to Ottawa in 1883, he was a founding member of the Ottawa Hockey Club, formed within weeks of the 1883 tournament. In 1884, he would return to the Montreal Winter Carnival tournament as Ottawa's goaltender and shutout McGill. He was a member of the Ottawa Hockey Club until 1889.

Aplowite, which is a transparent, pink-coloured cobalt mineral, is named in his honour, as is A. P. Low Primary School in Labrador City, NL.

References

1. Fabien Caron (1965). "Albert Peter Low and the exploration of Quebec-Labrador" (PDF). Érudit (in English and French). Center for Nordic Studies, Laval University. p. 16. Retrieved August 23, 2024. ... he had the consuming curiosity of the born explorer which must always see the other side of the hill or the other end of the river.
2. "LOW, Albert Peter". Canadian Who's Who. 1910. p. 136.

• Fischer, Doug (March 1, 2008). "How official Ottawa held back a 'great unsung native hero'; Even John A. Macdonald couldn't secure a full-time job for a founder of the world's first hockey league, Doug Fischer writes". Ottawa Citizen. p. A1. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
• Fischer, Doug (March 2, 2008). "When hockey came to the capital; 125 years ago this week, the Ottawa Hockey Club -- the team that became the original Senators -- took to the ice for the first time. A new book tells their fascinating story". Ottawa Citizen. p. D4.
• "Trailblazers - Albert Peter Low". Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009.

External links

• Works by Albert Peter Low at Project Gutenberg
• Works by Albert Peter Low at Faded Page (Canada)
• Works by or about Albert Peter Low at the Internet Archive
• Works by or about Albert Peter Low at Wikisource
• Media related to Albert Peter Low at Wikimedia Commons