William Edgar Lower was born on May 6, 1867, and was reared on a farm near Chili, Ohio, in Crawford Township. He attended Chili School and graduated from Western Reserve University Medical School in 1891. In 1898, he performed the first leg amputation. In 1900, he served as assistant surgeon of the United States in the Philipines, and during World War I served with the Lakeside Base Hospital Unit in France. He held teaching positions in surgery and urology in three universities and was noted for his keyhole size surgeries. Lower and Dr. Crile were cousins who grew up and worked together throughout their lifetimes, creating one of the most famous associations in the world of medicine. In 1921, Dr. Crile was president and Lower was treasurer and overseer of the building of the Cleveland Clinic. Lower died on June 17, 1948, and established two trust funds for the Coshocton Library.