The most illustrious member of this family was Commander Daniel Dow RD, RNR  (1860-1931). His career as Master Mariner started as an Apprentice with Thos &  John Brocklebank (1876-1881) in Liverpool later to Cunard where he remained for the rest  of his working life. He was Master of all the major Cunard Liners including  the RMS "Mauretania", in which he achieved a Blue Riband record between  Liverpool and New York, and the RMS "Lusitania" which he commanded from November 1913 until  March 1915 when he was relieved due to ill health by Captain W.T.Turner. He had been Master of the  "Lusitania" for five wartime passages and spent many hours on the Bridge without proper meals or  sleep and the stress, especially over the later voyages, of commanding the ship with the added worries of possible U-Boat attack, snatched meals and little sleep. He was granted sick leave with suspected stomach ulcers. Command of the great ship passed to Captain William Turner who took the liner on its final, ill-fated voyage on the 7th May 1915.

Returning to work after a short break he took command of the RMS "Mauretania" on two voyages taking troops to the Dardenelles. He spent the whole of 1916 acting as Cunard's agent in New York and liaised between Cunard, the British and the US governments returning to sea in 1917 until retirement in 1919. He retired to his home in Crosby and like his brother Charles became a prominent local councillor. Some of the family papers and documents relating to his career and collected by his brother, James Moir Dow and his son Harold Dow are now in the care of the Liverpool Maritime Museum. Other records and photographs were distributed between members of the family.

A biography of the Dow family, including details of Daniel's wartime career along with information relating to the "Lusitania" controversies is also in course of preparation.