Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/371

 LAW RANGE

LAWRENCE

LAWRANCE, James Peyton Stuart, naval officer, was born in Pliiladeli)hia, Pa., Aug. G, 1852; son of Edward Shinn and Aramintha Margaret Annie (Stuart) Lawrance; grandson of Samuel and Hannah (Shinn) Lawrance and of James Peyton and Araniintlia (Hunter) Stuart; great-grandson of Thomas and Ann (Palmer) Lawrance; great'--grandson of Thomas, the immigrant, and Susanna (Van Eman) Lawrance, and a descendant of the Stuarts of Virginia. Thomas Lawrance, the immi- grant, became a Quaker, and on this account came from London to New Jersey before 1730, and died in that state, Sept. 4, 1775. James P. S. Lawrance was prepared for college at the Episco- pal academy, Philadelphia, was graduated at Lehigh university, M.E., 1873, and took a special course in chemistry and physics at the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1879. He worked in John Roach's shipyard on the Delaware river for one year; was commissioned assistant engineer in the navy, March 22, 1875; passed assistant ■engineer, June 16, 1883; chief engineer, June 5, 1896, and lieutenant-commander in 1899. He was in service on the Asiatic, Pacific, North and South Atlantic stations on the ships Monocaaj, Lancas- ter, Pensacola, Juniata, Passaic, and Wilming- ton. On the last named he served against Cuban filibusters and through the war with Spain as <;hief engineer. He was engaged in the battles of Cardenas and Manzanillo, and on blockade and convoy duty, 1898, and also in 1899 made the cruise up the Amazon river to Yquitoa, Peru. He was elected a member of the American So- ciety' of Median ical Engineers, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, and of various social and professional clubs. In 1899 he -was transferred to the battleship Massachusetts as chief engineer, and in August, 1900, was ordered in charge of the office of the naval in- spector of engineering material at the American Steel Casting company, Thurlow, Pa.

LAWRENCE, Abbott, representative, was born in Groton, Mass., Dec. 16, 1792; son of Sam- uel and Susanna (Parker) Lawrence. He at- tended Groton academy, and in 1808 entered the employ of his brother Amos in Boston, with whom he went into partnership in 1814. He was married in June, 1819, to Katharine, eldest daughter of the Hon. Timothy Bigelow, of Med- ford, Mass. He was one of the seven delegates to the Harrisburg tariff convention of 1827; was elected to the common council of Boston in 1831, and declined a re-election; was a Whig repre- sentative from Massachusetts in the 24th con- gress, 1835-37, declined re-election to the 25th -congress, and was elected to the 26th congress in 1839, but was obliged to resign on account of ill-

health. In 1843 he was one of the commission- ers to settle the northeastern boundary ques- tion. He was a member of the Whig conven- tion held at Baltimore May 1, 1844, which nomi- nated Henry Clay for the Pi-esidency. In 1848 he supported General Taylor, the Whig candidate for President, and upon Taylor's election the cabinet office of secretary of the navj^ was offered to him, and later that of secretary of the interior, both of which he declined. He at first also de- clined the position of U.S. minister to England, but in 1849 he reversed his decision and accepted the position. He resigned in October, 1852, and returned to Boston, where he resumed his business, which he had left in charge of his eldest son. In 1854 he was obliged to return to England on account of his failing healtli. He was inter- ested in the cause of education, and gave $2000 to the Boston Latin and High schools, to be used for prizes for the pupils. He also gave $50,000 for the endowment of a scientific school in connec- tion with Harvard university. He bequeathed $50,000 for the erection of model lodging houses for the poor: $10,000 to the public library of Boston, and $50,000 to the Lawrence Scientific school. Harvard, besides many smaller legacies to different institutions, his gifts to public objects aggregating $150,000. See memoir prepared by Hamilton A. Hill and published in 1884. He died in Boston, Mass., Aug. 18, 1855.

LAWRENCE, Albert Gallatin, soldier, was born in New York city, N.Y., April 14, 1836; son of William Beach and Esther R. (Gracie) Law- rence. He attended school in New York city and studied at the Anglo-American academy at Vevay, Switzerland. He entered Harvard college in 1852, and was graduated, A.B., 1856, LL.B.. 1858, and A.M., 1859. After practising law in New York city for a short time he accompanied John Glancy Jones, U.S. minister, to Vienna in No- vember, 1858, serving as secretary of the legation, 1858-61, resigning his position in November. 1861, when he entered the volunteer service as a lieu- tenant in tiie 54th N.Y. infantry, serving through- out the Jlarj'land and Virginia campaigns. He was promoted captain in 1864, and assigned to the 2d U.S. colored cavalry. lie was transferred to Gen. B. F. Butler's staff, and subsequently served as aide-de-camp to Gen. Adelbert Ames, commanding the detachment detailed to effect an entrance into Fort Fisher. Here he was con- spicuous for Iiis gallantry, and while leading the forlorn hojie he lost his right arm. He received the tlianks of General Terry and of the legisla- ture of Rhode Island for his services; was bre- vetted lieutenant-colonel for his bravery, and on March 25, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier-gen- eral. He served until the close of the war, and on Oct. 2, 1866, was appointed U.S. minister to