Mark W. Lawrence (born 1958) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician currently serving in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constituti ...

. Lawrence represents Senate District 35, comprising the towns of Eliot,

Kittery Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, Maine, Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The ...

Ogunquit Ogunquit ( ) is a resort town in York County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ogunquit, which means "b ...

, South Berwick,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and part of Berwick, Maine, Berwick. Lawrence was born in Kittery and attended Bowdoin College and the University of Maine School of Law where he was elected to his first term in the Maine House of Representatives. He has served a total of three terms in the Maine House and is serving his sixth nonconsecutive term in the Maine Senate, where he served as List of presidents of the Maine Senate, president from 1996 to 2000. Lawrence was the 2000 Democratic United States Senate nominee, challenging incumbent Olympia Snowe, and in 2008 he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Maine's 1st congressional district. Lawrence pursued private law practice for 14 years before becoming the York County, Maine, York County District Attorney from 2003 to 2010. In 2010, he returned to private practice and operates the Lawrence Law Firm out of Kittery.

Early life and education

Lawrence grew up in Kittery, Maine. His father, Irving Lawrence, worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and his mother was a typesetter. He attended Kittery Public Schools and received a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law.

Career

Maine legislature

During his second year of law school, Lawrence was elected to the Maine House of Representatives. He served two terms in the House from 1988 until 1992 and four terms in the Maine Senate from 1992 until 2000. Lawrence was elected president of the 118th Maine Senate in December 1996 and president of the 119th Maine Senate in December 1998. In November 2016, he was again elected to the Maine House, and in 2018 he returned to the Maine Senate and was re-elected in 2020.

Congressional runs

Lawrence was the 2000 Democratic challenger to incumbent Olympia Snowe in the United States Senate election in Maine, 2000, 2000 U.S. Senate election, but lost to Snowe 69%-31%. In United States House of Representatives elections in Maine, 2008#District 1, 2008, he ran for the Democratic nomination for Maine's 1st congressional district but was defeated in the primary.

Law practice

Lawrence spent 14 years in private law practice before being appointed by Maine Governor John Baldacci to replace York County District Attorney Michael Cantara, who had been tapped to serve as the state's public safety commissioner. Lawrence was elected to the position in 2004 and 2006, but withdrew from the 2010 race in July of that year. He returned to private practice and currently operates The Lawrence Law Firm in Kittery.

Personal life

Lawrence lives in Eliot, Maine with his wife Tina and two daughters, Céline and Hayley.

Electoral history

Maine House of Representatives

1988 1990

Maine State Senate

1992 1994 1996 1998

United States Senate, 2000

1st Congressional district, 2008

References

External links

The Lawrence Law FirmSenator Mark Lawrence on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Mark 1958 births Living people 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians County district attorneys in Maine People from Kittery, Maine Maine lawyers Democratic Party Maine state senators Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Minority leaders of the Maine Senate Presidents of the Maine Senate University of Maine School of Law alumni