# William Appleton Lawrence

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{{Short description|American bishop}}
{{Other people|William Lawrence}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type             = Bishop
| honorific_prefix = The Right Reverend 
| name             = William Appleton Lawrence 
| honorific_suffix = D.D., L.H.D, S.T.D.
| title            = [Bishop of Western Massachusetts](/source/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Western_Massachusetts) 
| image            = William Appleton Lawrence.jpg
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| church           = [Episcopal Church](/source/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)) 
| archdiocese      = 
| province         = 
| metropolis       = 
| diocese          = [Western Massachusetts](/source/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Western_Massachusetts)
| see              = 
| elected          = October 21, 1936
| term             = 1937–1957
| quashed          = <!-- or | retired = -->
| predecessor      = [Thomas Frederick Davies Jr.](/source/Thomas_Frederick_Davies_Jr.)
| successor        = [Robert McConnell Hatch](/source/Robert_McConnell_Hatch)
| opposed          = 
| other_post       = 
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| ordination       = 1915
| ordained_by      = [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(bishop))
| consecration     = January 13, 1937
| consecrated_by   = [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(bishop))
| rank             = 
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1889|05|21}}
| birth_place      = [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), [United States](/source/United_States) 
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1968|12|21|1889|05|21}}
| death_place      = [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts), [United States](/source/United_States) 
| buried           = 
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| religion         = [Anglican](/source/Anglicanism) 
| residence        = 
| parents          = [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(bishop)) & Julia Cunningham
| spouse           = Hannah Wheelwright Cobb <small>''(m. June 1, 1912)''</small>
| children         = 7
| occupation       = 
| profession       = <!-- or | previous_post = -->
| education        =
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}}
'''William Appleton Lawrence''' (May 21, 1889 - December 21, 1968<ref>{{cite news |title=William Lawrence, Retired Bishop, 79 |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |date=January 6, 1969 |page=47 }}</ref>) was the third [bishop](/source/bishop) of the [Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts](/source/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Western_Massachusetts) (1937&ndash;57).<ref>{{cite news |title=Father Consecrates Bishop W. A. Lawrence |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |date=January 14, 1937 |page=46 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bishop Hatch Considered By Massachusetts Diocese |work=[The Hartford Courant](/source/The_Hartford_Courant) |date=June 19, 1957 |page=8 }}</ref> His father, [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(7th_Bishop_of_Massachusetts)), was the seventh Bishop of the [Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts](/source/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Massachusetts) (1893&ndash;1927).

==Early life and family==
Lawrence was born on May 21, 1889, in [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts), the son of the Bishop of Massachusetts [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(bishop)) and Julia Cunningham. He was the grandson of the notable abolitionist [Amos Adams Lawrence](/source/Amos_Adams_Lawrence) and a member of an influential "[Boston Brahmin](/source/Boston_Brahmin)" family, founded by his great-great-grandfather and American revolutionary [Samuel Lawrence](/source/Samuel_Lawrence_(revolutionary)). His great-grandfather was the noted philanthropist [Amos Lawrence](/source/Amos_Lawrence). Lawrence's brother, [Frederic C. Lawrence](/source/Frederic_C._Lawrence), was [suffragan bishop](/source/suffragan_bishop) of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts (1956&ndash;68).

==Education and career==
Lawrence graduated from [Harvard College](/source/Harvard_College), as was the tradition in his family. He attended the [Union Theological Seminary](/source/Union_Theological_Seminary_(New_York_City)) and the [Episcopal Theological Seminary](/source/Episcopal_Divinity_School). He also studied at [Lawrence College](/source/Lawrence_University) in [Appleton, Wisconsin](/source/Appleton%2C_Wisconsin) from where he graduated with a Doctor of Divinity in 1929.

==Priest==
Lawrence was ordained by his father, deacon on June 7, 1914, and priest in 1915. He was curate of Grace Church in [Lawrence, Massachusetts](/source/Lawrence%2C_Massachusetts) until 1916 when he became rector of St Stephen's Church in [Lynn, Massachusetts](/source/Lynn%2C_Massachusetts). In 1926 he went to [Providence, Rhode Island](/source/Providence%2C_Rhode_Island) to become rector of Grace Church.

==Bishop==
On October 21, 1936, Lawrence was elected as the third bishop to the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. He was consecrated on January 13, 1937, by his father Bishop [William Lawrence](/source/William_Lawrence_(bishop)) and the Presiding Bishop [James De Wolf Perry](/source/James_De_Wolf_Perry). In 1938, Lawrence created the first diocesan council and recommended that lay employees be included under [social security](/source/Social_Security_(United_States)).  Then, in 1946, he established Camp Bement, which was closed by the diocese in 2009. In his retirement, Lawrence developed what is known today as the Clergy Deployment Office. He was also active in civil rights, ecumenical and world peace causes. Lawrence retired in 1957. He died on December 21, 1968.<ref>[https://www.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/ENS/ENSpress_release.pl?pr_number=73-17 "Bishop William Lawrence Dies at Age 79"], ''Episcopal News Service'', 27 January 1969. Retrieved on 09 November 2018.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.diocesewma.org Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts] - official website

{{S-start}}
{{s-rel|ep}}
{{Succession box|title=[3rd Bishop of Western Massachusetts](/source/Episcopal_Diocese_of_Western_Massachusetts)|before=Thomas F. Davies|after=Robert McConnell Hatch|years=1937 &ndash; 1957}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, William Appleton}}
Category:Appleton family
Category:Harvard College alumni
Category:Anglican pacifists
Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni
Category:1889 births
Category:1968 deaths
Category:20th-century American Episcopalians
Category:Episcopal bishops of Western Massachusetts

{{US-Anglican-bishop-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Appleton Lawrence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Appleton_Lawrence) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Appleton_Lawrence?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.