James R. Lawrence

'''James Robbins Lawrence''' (September 11, 1790 – March 21, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York.

== Life == Lawrence was born on September 11, 1790, in Norfolk, Connecticut, the son of Grove Lawrence and Elizabeth Robbins.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Dickerman|first1=Edward Dwight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsxGAAAAMAAJ|title=Families of Dickerman Ancestry: Descendants of Thomas Dickerman, an Early Settler of Dorchester, Massachusetts|last2=Dickerman|first2=George Sherwood|publisher=The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Press|year=1897|location=New Haven, C.T.|pages=545–547|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Lawrence moved to Oneida County, New York, when he was five. He attended Hamilton College, graduating from there in 1810. He then began studying law with Medad Curtis in Onondaga Hill. After he was admitted to the bar, he moved to Camillus and began practicing law with his brother Grove. In 1840, he moved to Syracuse and practiced law there.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ygsgrB-lVYC|title=Memorial History of Syracuse, N. Y.: From Its Settlement To The Present Time|publisher=H. P. Smith & Co.|year=1891|editor-last=Bruce|editor-first=Dwight H.|location=Syracuse, N.Y.|pages=429–430|via=Google Books}}</ref> At one point, he was a commissioned officer of the New York State militia and held the rank of Brigadier-General.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Stockwell|first=Mary LeBaron|url=https://archive.org/details/descendantsoffra00byustoc/page/149/mode/1up|title=Descendants of Francis LeBaron of Plymouth, Mass.|publisher=T. R. Marvin & Son|year=1904|location=Boston, M.A.|pages=149–150|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

In 1824, Lawrence was elected to the New York State Assembly as one of representatives for Onondaga County and a member of the Clintonian faction.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New York 1824 Assembly, Onondaga County|url=https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/8p58pd562|access-date=2021-03-13|website=A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825}}</ref> He served in the Assembly in 1825, 1838, 1839, and 1840.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hough|first=Franklin B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3sFAAAAQAAJ|title=The New York Civil List|publisher=Weed, Parsons & Co.|year=1858|location=Albany, N.Y.|pages=202, 221–224|author-link=Franklin B. Hough|via=Google Books}}</ref> He was a prominent member of the Whig Party. Upon the adoption of the 1846 New York Constitution, he was elected County Judge of Onondaga County, resigning from the office in 1849.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Livingston|first=John|url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalsket02livi/page/58/mode/2up|title=Biographical Sketches of Eminent American Lawyers|year=1852 |volume=1|pages=58–60|publisher=[New York |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In September 1850, President Fillmore appointed him United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York. He joined the Republican Party once it was formed. In the last seven years of his life, he was blind.<ref name=":0" />

Lawrence was a member of the Presbyterian Church.<ref name=":2" /> In 1810, he married Christine McLaren of Edinburgh, Scotland. Their children were Elizabeth, Margaret, James Robbins, Christine, Irene Battell, and Sarah Urania. His wife Christine died in 1835, and in 1841 he married his second wife, Eureka Spofford. Their children were Eureka Spofford, William Horatio, and Mary Florida.<ref name=":1" />

Lawrence died in Syracuse from lung congestion on March 21, 1874.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=23 March 1874|title=State Items: Hon. James R. Lawrence|volume=XV|page=1|work=Evening Courier & Republic|issue=68|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83030936/1874-03-23/ed-1/seq-1/|via=NYS Historic Newspapers}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* ''[https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/lawrence.html#818.91.20 The Political Graveyard]'' * [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59771706/james-robbins-lawrence James R. Lawrence] at ''Find a Grave''

{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{succession box | title = United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York | years = 1850–1853 | before = George W. Clinton | after = Samuel B. Garvin }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, James R.}} Category:1790 births Category:1874 deaths Category:People from Norfolk, Connecticut Category:Hamilton College (New York) alumni Category:People from Camillus, New York Category:Lawyers from Syracuse, New York Category:Politicians from Syracuse, New York Category:Military personnel from Syracuse, New York Category:19th-century American lawyers Category:New York (state) Whigs Category:New York (state) Republicans Category:Members of the New York State Assembly Category:County judges in the United States Category:19th-century New York state court judges Category:United States attorneys for the Northern District of New York Category:Presbyterians from New York (state) Category:Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) Category:19th-century members of the New York State Legislature