William Lawrence (Ohio)
Encyclopedia
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He was most noted for being a US Representative, and was influential in attempting to impeach Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, creating the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, helping to create the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, and ratifying the Geneva Convention.
Lawrence was born on June 26, 1819 in Mount Pleasant, Ohio
Mount Pleasant, Ohio
Mount Pleasant is a village in Jefferson County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 535. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He attended Tidball's Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. After teaching at Pennsville and McConnelsville, Ohio
McConnelsville, Ohio
McConnelsville is a village in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,676 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. As of October 19 2011, the mayor is John Walter Finley.-Geography:...
, he was graduated in 1838 from Franklin College
Franklin College (New Athens, Ohio)
Franklin College was a college in New Athens, Ohio, founded by abolitionist John Walker, a Presbyterian minister. The college was called Alma college from 1818 until 1825, when the name was changed to Franklin College. The college ceased operation in 1919, and became associated with Muskingum...
in New Athens, Ohio
New Athens, Ohio
New Athens is a village in Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census.During Morgan's Raid, a decisive Union victory in the Civil War in 1863, Confederate Brid. Gen...
. He was then graduated in 1840 from law school at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, and was admitted to the bar. In 1873, Lawrence was awarded the LL. D.
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
from Franklin College.
Early career
In 1841, Lawrence moved to Bellefontaine, OhioBellefontaine, Ohio
Bellefontaine is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Bellefontaine Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003...
, and there set up his law practice. From 1841 to 1843, he continued his studies, then in the field of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. In 1842, he became the Commissioner of Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
for Logan County
Logan County, Ohio
Logan County is a county in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,858. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native Americans in the area....
.
From 1845 to 1847, Lawrence served as the editor of the Logan Gazette, which later became the Bellefontaine Examiner
Bellefontaine Examiner
The Bellefontaine Examiner is a daily newspaper published at Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States. The newspaper covers international and national, regional and local topics, with a focus on stories affecting the surrounding Logan County...
. During this time, Lawrence was elected as the Logan County Prosecutor (in 1845). He also served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, in 1846 and 1847. In 1849, Lawrence was first elected to the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
, serving until 1851 when he became the reporter of the Ohio Supreme Court. He returned to the Ohio Senate in 1854. He also served as an editor of Western Law Monthly from 1859 to 1862. In 1860 or 1861, Lawrence built a house along North Main Street in Bellefontaine; today, the William Lawrence House
William Lawrence House (Bellefontaine, Ohio)
The William Lawrence House is a historic house in Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States. Located along Main Street north of the city's downtown, it is historically significant as the home of William Lawrence, a prominent U.S...
remains largely intact and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Civil War
In 1857, Lawrence was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and of the District Court, serving until he resigned in 1864. In 1862, he entered the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 84th Ohio Infantry
84th Ohio Infantry
The 84th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 84th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio May through June 1862 and mustered in on June 7, 1862 for three months service under the command of Colonel...
, a three-month regiment. In 1863, Lawrence was appointed to serve as the wartime judge for the United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
; however, he declined the appointment.
Congressman and national political figure
On March 4, 1865, William Lawrence was inaugurated as the U.S. Representative for the 4th district of OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, having been elected to this office the previous November. He served in the Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, and Forty-first Congresses, ending his third term on March 3, 1871. As Representative, Lawrence was among the authors of the bill of impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
against U.S. President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
in 1868.
Created the Department of Justice
In 1867, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Lawrence directed an inquiry into the creation of a "law department" headed by the Attorney GeneralUnited States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
and composed of the various department solicitors and district attorneys. On February 19, 1868, Lawrence authored the bill that ultimately created the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
. However, this first bill died in Congress due to the Congress's (and Lawrence's) concern with the impeachment of President Johnson.
In the following Congress, the issue was brought back to the table. Representative Thomas Jenckes
Thomas Jenckes
Thomas Allen Jenckes was a United States Congressional representative for the State of Rhode Island. Jenckes was best known for introducing a bill that created the United States Department of Justice. President Ulysses S. Grant then signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870...
of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
introduced a bill to create the Department of Justice on February 25, 1870. Though Lawrence did not write this bill, it incorporated many of the ideas from Lawrence's previous bill, and he gave the bill his full support. On June 22, 1870, President Ulysses Grant signed this second bill into law, creating the Department of Justice.
To Bellefontaine, and back to Washington
Returning to Bellefontaine in 1871, Lawrence founded the Bellefontaine National Bank (acquired by Huntington National Bank in 1977), and served as its first president. He returned to Congress in 1873, this time from the 8th Ohio Congressional district. Lawrence served in the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses, and completed his fifth and final term on March 3, 1877. During this service, Lawrence was the chairman of the Committee on War Claims arising from the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The American Red Cross and the Geneva Convention
Lawrence was appointed by President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880 to serve as the First Comptroller of the Treasury, a post he held until 1885. Lawrence then appealed on behalf of Clara BartonClara Barton
Clarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse, and humanitarian. She is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.-Youth, education, and family nursing:...
to Hayes' successor, James Garfield
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
, to support the creation of the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
on May 21, 1881. He then served as the organization's first Vice President. Lawrence and Barton were also instrumental in persuading the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to ratify the Geneva Convention in 1882.
In 1891, Lawrence was appointed President of the National Wool Growers Association. He died on May 8, 1899 in Kenton, Ohio
Kenton, Ohio
Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The population was 8,262 at the 2010 census. It is named for Kentucky/Ohio frontiersman, Simon Kenton...
. Lawrence is interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery in Bellefontaine, Ohio.