Kales Eldon Lowe (1910-1972)

From the Burley, Idaho Herald, November 3, 1938.

  Cassia County, Idaho lawyer Kales Eldon Lowe received passing mention in the September 11th writeup on Adonis Haight Nielson, who not only defeated Lowe for Cassia County attorney in 1938, but also succeeded Lowe as city attorney of Burley, Idaho upon the latter's ascension to the post of district court judge. Aside from being oddly named contemporaries, both Lowe and Nielson practiced law in the same city (Burley) and also graduated from the same college (Stanford University in California). Born in Burley on May 17, 1910, Kales Eldon Lowe was the son of attorney Sylvester Tucker and Henrietta (Petesch) Lowe.

  A student in schools local to Burley, Lowe also attended school in San Francisco, California, where he resided with his mother and siblings for five years in the 1920s. Lowe entered into study at Stanford University in 1928 and four years later earned his BA degree. After completing his studies, Lowe returned to Stanford to enroll at the university's law school, where, in 1936, he received his bachelor of laws degree. During his second stint at Stanford Lowe married in the campus chapel in 1934 to Maria Celeste Lynch (1910-1979), a San Francisco native. The couple were wed until Lowe's death in 1972 and would have one daughter, Carol Anne.

  After receiving his law degree Lowe briefly practiced law in San Francisco before returning to his hometown of Burley in late 1936, and following his arrival joined with his father in the practice of law. After being admitted to the Idaho bar, Lowe made his first run at public office in July 1938, announcing his candidacy for Cassia County prosecuting attorney. After winning the Democratic primary, Lowe faced incumbent Republican Adonis H. Nielson in the general election, and that November lost to him by a vote of 2,763 to 1,659.

  While he may have come up short in the vote count, Kales Lowe rebounded politically the next year when he was appointed as city attorney for Burley. He would serve until 1941 and in 1943 was again appointed to that office, where he remained until January 1949, when he was appointed by then-Governor Charles Armington Robins as judge for the District Court of Idaho's 11th judicial district. Succeeding Judge James W. Porter (who had resigned to accept a seat on the state supreme court), Lowe was endorsed for the post by members of the 4th and 11th District Idaho bar associations.

From the Burley Herald, January 13, 1949.

From the Twin Falls Times, June 24, 1953.

  Lowe served out the remainder of Porter's term on the district court and in June 1953 announced that he'd be resigning from office effective June 30, citing his desire to return to private practice with his father in Burley. Following his father's death in 1954 Lowe continued practice alone, making a specialty in "water rights and litigation." An active club-man in his community, Lowe was a past worshipful master of the Burley Masonic Lodge, a member of the Burley Rupert Shriners, and a parishioner at the local Presbyterian church. Kales Eldon Lowe died at a Salt Lake City, Utah hospital on June 28, 1972, shortly after his 62nd birthday. He was survived by his wife and daughter and, following funeral services, was cremated and inurned in that city.

From the Twin Falls Times, June 29, 1972.