George Newbold Lawrence (October 20, 1806 – January 17, 1895) was an American businessman and amateur ornithologist.

Early life

Lawrence was born in the city of New York on October 20, 1806. From his youth, Lawrence was a lover of birds and spent much of his spare time studying their habits. At sixteen years of age, he became a clerk in his father's business, becoming a partner in his father's house by age twenty.

Career

Lawrence conducted Pacific bird surveys for

Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, Herpetology, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He ...

and

John Cassin John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and Vice President at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification of the Acad ...

, and the three men co-authored ''Birds of North America'' in 1860. He sold his collection of 8,000 bird skins to the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

in 1887. Fellow ornithologists honored him by naming one bird genus and 20 species after him, including both the scientific and common name of the Lawrence's goldfinch, first described by Cassin in 1852.

Personal life

Lawrence died on January 17, 1895 in New York City. His funeral was held at his residence, 45 East 21st Street in Manhattan. His wife died five days later on January 22, 1895. Their combined estates totaled $528,900 which were left to their two sons, Elmen N. Lawrence and John B. Lawrence.

References

External links

"Lawrence and his friends: the dual nature of ornithologists,"
from the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, George Newbold 1806 births 1895 deaths American ornithologists People associated with the American Museum of Natural History