Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/372

 LAWRENCE

LAWRENCE

Costa Rica, but on account of a duel that he fought with a Prussian attache, who had spoken insultingly of the American flag, he was recalled in 1868. After serving as Indian commissioner to investigate grievances of a prominent Indian chief, he returned to New York city. He was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Le- gion. He died in New York city, Jan. 1, 1887.

LAWRENCE, Amos, merchant and pliilan- thropist, was born in Groton, Mass., April 22, 1786 ; son of Samuel and Susanna (Parker) Law- rence ; grandson of Captain Amos and Abigail (Abbott) Lawrence and of William and Sarah Parker, of Groton ; great-grandson of John and Anna (Tar- bell) Lawrence and of Deacon Nehemiah Abbott, of Lexing- ton ; greats-grandson of Nathaniel and Sarah (Morse) Law- rence ; greats-grand- son of John and Elizabeth Lawrence, the emigrants, and I VI} \ ^^ ' {^^ " ^^ John and Hanna Morse, of Dedluim, and a lineal descend- ant of Sir Robert Lawrence, of Ashton Hall, Lancashire, England. Amos attended Groton academy, and in 1799 ob- tained employment in a country store at Dun- stable, Mass., and later in Groton. He removed to Boston in 1807, where he was employed as a clerk in a dry-goods house, and upon the failure of his employers he was appointed by the cred- itors to settle the affairs of the concern. On Dec. 17, 1807, he opened a dry-goods store on Cornhill, Boston, with his brother Abbott, as an appren- tice. In 1814 the brothers became partners under the firm name of A. & A. Lawrence, and during the war of 1812 they erected mills for the manu- facture of cotton and woollen goods in New Eng- land. They established the first cotton factory in Lowell, Mass., and later engaged in the sale of foreign cotton and woollen goods on commission. Amos retired from active participation in busi- ness affairs in 1831, and devoted himself to phil- anthropic works. His gifts include about $40,000 to Williams college. He founded a library at the Groton academy, donated a valuable telescope, and at the time of his death he was engaged in raising the sum of $50,000 for the academy. On account of his gifts, the name of Groton academy was changed to Lawrence academy in 1846. He also gave liberally to Kenyon college, to Wabash college, and to the Bangor Theological seminary. He established the children's infirmary at Bos-

ton ; donated a building for the Boston Society of Natural History, and contributed $10,000 to- ward the completion of Bunker Hill monument. He presented many books to libraries and to in- dividuals, and his private benefactions were large. His name was one of the six in *' Class B, Busi- ness Men," submitted for a i^lace in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York university, in October, 1900, and received twenty votes, Cornelius Vanderbilt with twenty-nine votes only exceeding and none in the class gaining a place. He was twice married — first on June 0, 1811, to Sarah, daughter of Giles and Sarah (Adams) Richards, of Dedham ; and secondly, on April 11, 1821, to Nancy (Means) Ellis, a daughter of Robert Means, of Amherst. N.H., and widow of Judge Ellis, of Claremont, N.H. He died in Bos- ton, Mass., Dec. 31, 1852.

LAWRENCE, Amos Adams, merchant and philanthropist, was born in Boston, Mass., July 31, 1814; son of Amos and Sarah (Richards) Lawrence, and grandson of Samuel and Susanna (Parker) Lawrence and of Giles and Sarah (Adams) Richards. He was prepared for college by the Rev. Dr. Jonathan F. Stearns. He was graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1835, A.^ M., 1838, and' entered mercantile business, self in the manufacture of cotton, and was presi- dent and director of several banks and industrial corporations in Massachusetts, He became asso- ciated with Eli Thayer and others in the colo- nization of Kansas in 1853, and was treasurer of the Emigrant Aid association, an organization which furnished the means for settlers to migrate from New England to Kansas. He was twice nominated for governor of Massachusetts by the Whigs and Unionists. At the outbreak of the civil war he aided in recruiting the 2d Massachu- setts volunteer cavalry regiment. He built Law- rence Hall for the Episcopal Theological seminary in Cambridge at a cost of $75,000, and was its treasurer for several years ; was treasurer of Harvard college, 1857-63, and an overseer, 1879- 85. In 1846 he gave $10,000 for the establishment of a literary institution in Wisconsin. This insti- tution was called " The Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin," and was situated at Appleton. He secured the Appleton library fund and gave over $30,000 toward the support of the institution, which was re-chartered in 1849 as Lawrence uni- versity. He was a member of the Massachusetts Historical society. The town of Lawrence, Kan. ,

UNIVERSITY

He interested him-