Lowell Hammer

Lowell Varner Hammer, 91, of College Station, TX, went to be with his Lord on 7 January 2020. Lowell was born in Ligonier, PA, to the Reverend John Domer Hammer and his wife, Edythe Lenore Hammer. He was educated in the public schools of Ligonier, Greensburg, and Johnstown, PA. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service from Penn State in 1950 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army where he served in the Far East Command, based in Japan, until his release from active duty in 1953. He then attended Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, earning an MA in 1954.

He began his career in Washington, D.C., where he met his future wife Elizabeth Carter Bowers of Chevy Chase, MD. During his career of over 30 years in foreign affairs with the U.S. Federal Government, he served as an officer in executive branch agencies including the Foreign Service of the Department of State. Lowell and Elizabeth served enthusiastically abroad in Morocco, Zaire, and France. After his retirement from the service in 1985, he continued to serve as a consultant in international security affairs.

Lowell had an interest in historical organizations where he played a prominent role in many of the hereditary and lineage societies—patriotic, veterans, historical, and genealogical societies and organizations. At the national level, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S., Captain General of the Sons of American Colonists, and Regent of the National Congress of Patriotic Organizations. At the state society level, he served as President of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, President of the Sons of the Revolution of the District of Columbia, Commander of the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the U.S., and Governor of the District of Columbia Branch of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims. At the chapter level, he served as Senior Vice Commander of the District of Columbia Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars. He also served as Deputy Governor of the Honorable John Randolph Chapter of the Hereditary Order of Descendants of Loyalists and Patriots of the American Revolution as well as Vice President of the National Capital Society of the Sons of the American Colonists. He served as Treasurer and Knight Inspector, Priory of St. King Charles the Martyr of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Lowell was also a member of the National Gavel Society, Society of Colonial Wars, Colonial Society of Pennsylvania, Saint Andrew's Society, Clan Maxwell, Clan McAlister, Welsh Society of Philadelphia, Order of Lafayette, Colonial Order of the Acorn, Army and Navy Union, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Patriotic Order Sons of America, National Order of the Blue and Gray, Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia, Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania German Society. He is listed in the Heredity Society Bluebook.

As hobbies, in addition to his genealogical and historical pursuits, Mr. Hammer engaged in oil and water color painting, photography, antique restoration, artifact preservation, and print matting and framing. After forty years of research and writing, he published a 706-page family history/genealogy entitled Johan Frantz Hammer, Palatine Pioneer in Pennsylvania and Maryland and his Descendants.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother, his brother Emerson, and his son Christopher. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 63 years, Elizabeth, his daughter Sarah Haberl and her husband Jeff, his son Lowell Carter, his grandsons Alex and Andrew, and his granddaughters Michelle, Betsy, and Catherine.

Memorial services will be held later in the year.