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 Norfolk () is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Norfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census. Norfolk is per ...

, the son of Grove Lawrence and Elizabeth Robbins. Lawrence moved to

Oneida County, New York Oneida County is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,125. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or ''Haudenos ...

when he was five. He attended

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

, 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 Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

and practiced law there. At one point, he was a commissioned officer of the New York State militia and held the rank of Brigadier-General. In 1824, Lawrence was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as one of representatives for

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

and a member of the Clintonian faction. He served in the Assembly in

1825 Events January–March * January 4 – King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies dies in Naples and is succeeded by his son, Francis. * February 3 – Vendsyssel-Thy, once part of the Jutland peninsula forming westernmost Denmark, becomes a ...

1838 Events January–March * January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London. * January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration o ...

1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – T ...

, and

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janua ...

. He was a prominent member of the Whig Party. Upon the adoption of the 1846 New York Constitution, he was elected

County Judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

of Onondaga County, resigning from the office in 1849. In September 1850, President Fillmore appointed him

United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York The United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in 32 counties in the northern part of the State of New York. The current U.S. Attorney is Carla B. Freedman who was named on October 8, ...

. He joined the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

once it was formed. In the last seven years of his life, he was blind. Lawrence was a member of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. In 1810, he married Christine McLaren of

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. 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. Lawrence died in Syracuse from lung congestion on March 21, 1874. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
James R. Lawrence
at ''

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