Dr. Alexander Lowy
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Dr. Alexander Lowy (1899-1941) immigrated to New York City from Hungary as a young child. In 1915, he earned his doctorate from Columbia University and also married Dora Landberg of Brooklyn. They had three children, Muriel, Evelyn and Alexander Jr.
The family moved to Pittsburgh in 1918. Dr. Lowy taught in the University of Pittsburgh chemistry department until his death. Admired as a teacher, he also gained a national reputation for his research and inventions. He co-authored A Textbook of Organic Chemistry, that became a classroom standard. He published at least 100 papers and books, both alone and with students, and received at least 15 patents for inventions ranging from a process to disinfect garbage, to a tool for finding obstructions in pipelines, to a device to protect bank safes against torch-wielding robbers.
Dr. Alexander and Dora Lowy met Dr. Albert Einstein in December 1934 when Einstein spoke at the national convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Science being held in Pittsburgh. In 1959, the University of Pittsburgh dedicated the Alexander Lowy Memorial Seminar Room in Clapp Hall. The room was moved to Eberly Hall, formerly Alumni Hall, in May 2012.
