Robert Lowry (1826-1899)was one of the most important songwriters of the U.S. American Revival after the end of the Civil War. He attended the University at Lewisburg (later renamed Bucknell University) in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, where he became Professor of Literature. He was ordained as a Baptist minister and pastored at West Chester, Pennsylvania; Bloomingdale Baptist Church, New York City; Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York; First Baptist Church, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; and Park Avenue Baptist Church, Plainfield, New Jersey. He also worked as a music editor at the Biglow Publishing Company. He wrote about 500 Gospel tunes, and jointly edited volumes such as Happy Voices (1865) and Hymn Service (1871). Perhaps his best-known song is "Shall We Gather By the River?"
