John L. Lawrence
New York City Comptroller
In office
1849–1849
Preceded byTalman J. Waters
Succeeded byJoseph R. Taylor
Member of the New York State Senate
In office
1848–1849
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byClarkson Crolius
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
1816–1817
Personal details
Born(1785-10-02)October 2, 1785
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 24, 1849(1849-07-24) (aged 63)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyWhig
Spouse
Sarah Augusta Smith
​
(m. 1816)​
RelationsSamuel Lawrence (brother)
William T. Lawrence (brother)
Children11, including Abraham
Parent(s)Jonathan Lawrence
Ruth Riker Lawrence
Alma materColumbia College

John L. Lawrence (October 2, 1785 – July 24, 1849) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician from New York.

Early life

John was born in New York City. He was the son of Jonathan Lawrence (1737–1812), a merchant and New York State Senator, and Ruth (née Riker) Lawrence (1746–1818), a member of the Riker family, for whom Rikers Island is named.[1] Among his siblings were brothers Samuel Lawrence (1773–1837), a Congressmen, and William T. Lawrence (1788–1859).[2]

He was also a direct descendant of Capt. James Lawrence, a hero of the War of 1812,[3] and Maj. Thomas Lawrence of the British Army who received a land grant in 1656 in what became Queens.[4]

He graduated from Columbia College in 1803.[5]

Career

From June 7, 1814, to May 19, 1815, he was Chargé d'Affaires at Stockholm, representing the United States during the absence of Minister to Sweden Jonathan Russell.[6]

He was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co.) in 1816–17. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821.[7]

He was a presidential elector in 1840, voting for William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.[7]

He was a member of the New York State Senate (4th D.) in 1848 and 1849. In May 1849, he was appointed New York City Comptroller,[8] but died two months later.[7]

Personal life

On June 2, 1816, he married Sarah Augusta Smith (1794–1877), daughter of Elizabeth (née Woodhull) Smith (daughter of Gen. Nathaniel Woodhull) and General John Tangier Smith, a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from New York.[9] Together, John and Sarah were the parents of eleven children, including Abraham Riker Lawrence, a Justice of the Supreme Court of New York.[10]

Lawrence died of cholera in New York City on July 24, 1849.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Schechter, Stephen L.; Tripp, Wendell Edward; Burke, Thomas E. (1990). World of the Founders: New York Communities in the Federal Period. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 67. ISBN 9780945660026. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. ↑ Browning, Charles Henry (1969). Americans of Royal Descent: Collection of Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families | 7th Edition. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 215. ISBN 9780806300542. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "RUTH LAWRENCE OF PATRIOTIC UNIT; Founder of Colonial Dames Society, a Descendant of War Heroes, Dies at 90" (PDF). The New York Times. 16 June 1956. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "W. M. LAWRENCE DIES; HELD CITY HALL POSTS; Assistant Secretary and Chief Clerk of Estimate Board Under Three Mayors" (PDF). The New York Times. 25 November 1935. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. ↑ Lawrence, Thomas (1858). Historical Genealogy of the Lawrence Family: From Their First Landing in this Country A.D. 1635, to the Present Date, July 4th, 1858. Edward O. Jenkins. p. 113. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. ↑ Congress, United States (1859). American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive of the Congress of the United States. Gales and Seaton. p. 554. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Hough, Benjamin Franklin (1858). The New York Civil List: containing the names and origin of the civil divisions, and the names and dates of election or appointment of the principal state and county officers from the Revolution to the present time. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 57, 136, 142, 192, 287. 329. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  8. ↑ Aldermen, New York (N Y. ) Board of Assistant (1851). Proceedings of the Board of Assistant Aldermen. Board of Assistant Aldermen. p. 324. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  9. ↑ Youngs, Florence Evelyn Pratt; Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1914). Portraits of the Presidents of The Society, 1835-1914. New York, NY: Order of the Society. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  10. ↑ "A. RIKER LAWRENCE, EX-JUSTICE, IS DEAD; Jurist of New York Supreme Court for 28 Years Expires in His Eighty-fifth Year. ONCE NOMINEE FOR MAYOR Author of Legal Works Was Twice the President of the St. Nicholas Society" (PDF). The New York Times. 15 February 1917. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "Death Notice". The American Quarterly Register and Magazine. E.C. and J. Biddle: 237. 1849. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
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