Albert Peter Low

---

title: "Albert Peter Low" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1861-births", "1942-deaths", "canadian-geologists", "canadian-explorers", "geological-survey-of-canada-personnel", "ottawa-senators-(original)-players", "ice-hockey-people-from-montreal", "mcgill-university-alumni", "canadian-geographers", "persons-of-national-historic-significance-(canada)"] description: "Canadian geologist, explorer and athlete" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Peter_Low" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian geologist, explorer and athlete ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
image	A.P. Low Hamilton River Picnic 1894.jpg
caption	A.P. Low and party on a hauling picnic up Lake Winokapau, Hamilton River (now the Churchill River), Labrador, 1894.
birth_place	Montreal, Canada East
birth_date	May 24, 1861
death_date
death_place	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
occupation	geologist, explorer and athlete
known_for	Arctic explorations of 1893–1895
alma_mater	McGill University
::

| image = A.P. Low Hamilton River Picnic 1894.jpg | caption = A.P. Low and party on a hauling picnic up Lake Winokapau, Hamilton River (now the Churchill River), Labrador, 1894. | birth_place = Montreal, Canada East | birth_date = May 24, 1861 | death_date = | death_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | occupation = geologist, explorer and athlete | known_for = Arctic explorations of 1893–1895 | alma_mater = McGill University 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.

Biography

Albert Peter Low was born in Montreal, Canada East, 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

References

1. (1965). "Albert Peter Low and the exploration of Quebec-Labrador". Center for Nordic Studies, Laval University.
2. (1910). "LOW, Albert Peter".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::