William Lawrence (September 2, 1814 – September 8, 1895) was a Senator, Congressman, and member of the United States House of Representatives from the 17th District of Ohio. He also served as President of the board of directors of the Ohio Penitentiary. Lawrence was born in Washington, Guernsey County, Ohio. He graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1835. After farming for a few years, Lawrence was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1843. He was a Presidential elector in 1848 for Secretary of State

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

, and Congressman

William Orlando Butler William Orlando Butler (April 19, 1791 – August 6, 1880) was a U.S. political figure and U.S. Army major general from Kentucky. He served as a Democratic congressman from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic vice-presidentia ...

. He was a delegate to the Ohio State

constitutional convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

in 1851. From 1856 to 1857, he served in the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

. On March 4, 1857, William Lawrence (D) was inaugurated as the Representative from the 17th Congressional District of Ohio to the 35th U.S. Congress. Lawrence served only in this Congress, as he was elected only to one term in office. Upon leaving Congress, Lawrence served again in the Ohio Senate (in 1867, 1885, and 1886). He also served as president of the board of directors of the Ohio Penitentiary, a prison in downtown

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. William Lawrence died in

Old Washington, Ohio Old Washington is a village in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. The population was 279 at the 2010 census. History The village has been known by several names in its history. Platted by George and Henry Beymer in 1805, it was initially kno ...

on September 8, 1895, and is interred at the Washington Cemetery. Lawrence was father of

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state, State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost. History The office ...

James Lawrence.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, William 1814 births 1895 deaths Washington & Jefferson College alumni People from Guernsey County, Ohio Democratic Party Ohio state senators Ohio Constitutional Convention (1850) 1848 United States presidential electors Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio