Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/374

 LAWRENCE

LAWRENCE

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torical studies (1856); Governor Nichols, the first English Governor of New York (1891), and Gov- ernor Cosby and the Liberty of the Press (1892), the last two in " Memorial History of New York." He died in New York city, Aug. 17, 1894. LAWRENCE, George Newbold, ornithologist, was born in New York city, Oct. 20, 1806 ; son of John Burling and Hannah (Newbold) Lawrence, and a descendant of John Lawrence the pilgrim, 1635. He was educated in private schools, and engaged in the drug business, 1826-62. At his father's death he became head of the house, and in 1862 he retired from business. He was married Oct. 23, 1834, to Mary Ann, daughter of George Newbold, president of the Bank of Amei*- ica. He devoted him- self to the study of birds, and gave spe- cial attention to the avifauna of tropi- cal and sub-tropical America, and in 1846 began to contribute ar- ticles on ornithology to scientific periodicals in America and elsewhere. He collected more than 8000 birds, including almost every known species in the United States, and many from other parts of the western continent. He also described over 300 new species. His collection was purchased from him by the American Mu- seum of Natural History, New York city. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ; the American Museum of Natural History ; the New York Academy of Sciences ; the British Association for the Advancement of Science ; the British and American Ornithologist's Union, and the Zoologi- cal Society of London. He is the author of one hundred papers on ornithology, and edited, with Prof. Spencer F. Baird and John Cassin, The Birds of North America (1858), which was published as Volume IX. of the " Pacific Railway Reports," and republished with additions and plates in 1860. He died in New York city, Jan. 17, 1895.

LAWRENCE, George Pelton, representative, was born in Adams, Mass., May 19, 1859 ; son of George C. and Jane E. (Pelton) Lawrence, and grandson of Stephen Lawrence. He was gradu- ated from Drury academy in 1876, and from Am- herst college, A.B., 1880. He attended Columbia Law school. New York city, 1880-83, and prac- tised at North Adams, Mass., from 1883. He was judge of the district court of northern Berkshire, 1885-94, and a member of the Massachusetts

senate, 1895-97, being president in 1896 and 1897. He was married, June 12, 1889, to Susannah, daughter of Col. John Bracewell, of North Adams, Mass. He was elected a representative in the 55th congress, to fill the term of A. B. Wright, deceased, and was re-elected to the 56tli, 57th and 58th congresses, 1897-1905. He received the degree of A.M. from Amherst in 1886, and from Williams college in 1899.

LAWRENCE, George Van Eman, representa- tive, was born near Washington, Pa., Nov. 13, 1818 ; son of the Hon. Joseph and Rebecca (Van Eman) Lawrence. He attended Washington col- lege one year ; engaged in farming in Mononga- hela ; represented his district in the Pennsylvania legislature in 1844, 1847, 1858-59, and 1892-94, and was a state senator, 1848-51, and 1860-63, presid- ing over the senate in 1863. He was a Whig rep- resentative from the twenty-fourth Pennsylvania district in the 39th and 40th congresses, 1865-69 ; a delegate-at-large to the Pennsylvania constitu- tional convention in 1872, serving as chairman of the committee on counties, boroughs and town- ships ; again a state senator, 1874-81 ; a Republi- can representative in the 48th congress, 1883-85, and a delegate to numerous state conventions, serving as president of two conventions. He was twice married : first in 1839 to Elizabeth, daughter of William Welsh, of Washington, Pa., and secondly in 1857 to Mary, daughter of the Rev. John Reed.

LAWRENCE, James, naval officer, was born in Burlington, N.J., Oct. 1, 1781 ; youngest son of Judge John Lawrence. He attended the grammar school at Burlington, and in 1794 took up the study of law with his brother John at Woodbury, N.J. In 1796 he was placed imder the care of a Mr. Griscomb at Burlington, to ac- quire tlie principles of navigation and naval tactics. He was warranted a mid- shipman in the U.S. navy in 1798, and cruised to the West Indies in the ship Ganges, Capt. Thomas Tingey. He served as acting lieutenant in 1800, but did not receive his commission till 1802. He engaged in the Tripolitan war ; was intrusted with the com- mand of a gunboat, and attacked and captured an Algerian ketch. He was first officer of the Enter- prise, Capt. Stephen Decatur, during the bom- bardment of Tripoli, and on Feb. 16, 1804, he was

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