Christopher Lowndes

Christopher Lowndes (baptized June 19, 1713 – January 8, 1785) was a leading merchant in colonial Bladensburg, Prince George's County, Maryland.

He was named Commissioner of the town of Bladensburg in 1745, and in 1753 he was appointed one of the justices of Prince George's County, holding both offices until his death in 1785.

This wealthy local merchant also owned several farms, and numerous tracts of land, and on two occasions, he was an investor in a ship that imported and sold slaves.

In May 1752 Lowndes and his brother-in-law, Benjamin Tasker, Jr. were listed in the advertisement in The Maryland Gazette announcing the arrival of the Elijah with its cargo of "healthy slaves" for sale at Severn River.

They had nine children, and their daughter Rebecca Lowndes (1757-February 10, 1802) was married on June 17, 1781 to Benjamin Stoddert (1751-1813), first Secretary of the Navy of the United States.