Thomas Lawrence (1689–1754) was a merchant who was elected to six one-year terms as

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...

between 1727 and his death in 1754. He was also a founder and trustee of

The Academy and College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749-1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia, Colony of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of Philadelphia began as a ...

Formative years

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Lawrence moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1720, where, for the rest of his life, he was engaged in the mercantile business. In 1730, after being associated with James Logan, Lawrence formed a partnership with

Edward Shippen Edward Shippen (1639, Methley, West Yorkshire, England – October 2, 1712, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was the second mayor of Philadelphia, although under William Penn's charter of 1701, he was considered the first. Early life Edward was bor ...

; Shippen & Lawrence became one of Philadelphia's leading firms.

Political career

Apart from his life in private business, Lawrence held several positions of trust in the city, including serving as mayor for six one-year terms, as city councilman and alderman, and as judge of the county court. During 1730 he worked with Dr. John Kearsley and Andrew Hamilton on a committee for the preparation and planning to build the Philadelphia state house, the later

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...

. At the provincial level, Lawrence began his service on the Provincial Council in 1728.

Death and interment

Lawrence died in Philadelphia in 1754, while still an office holder, and was buried at Philadelphia's

Christ Church Burial Ground Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia is an important early-American cemetery. It is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, Benjamin Rush, ...

.Map of Old Christ Church Burial Ground
Following his death, a notice was placed in

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

's ''

Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...

'' which lauded Lawrence's record of public service and his humanity in all aspects of his life.

Legacy

Lawrence was a founder and trustee of

References

External links

Brief biography and portrait
at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Thomas 1689 births 1754 deaths Mayors of Philadelphia Members of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council Politicians from New York City University of Pennsylvania people People of colonial Pennsylvania People of the Province of New York University and college founders Colonial American merchants Burials at Christ Church, Philadelphia