Frederick N. Lawrence

Frederick Newbold Lawrence (February 28, 1834 – December 24, 1916) was an American financier who served as president of the Union Club of the City of New York and president of the New York Stock Exchange.

Frederick N. Lawrence
President of the New York Stock Exchange
In office 1882–1883
Preceded by	Donald Mackay
Succeeded by	Alfrederick Smith Hatch
Personal details
Born	Frederick Newbold Lawrence February 28, 1834 Bayside, New York, U.S.
Died	December 24, 1916 (aged 82) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Boyce ​ ​ (m. 1855; died 1894)​
Relations	Effingham Lawrence (uncle) Cornelius Lawrence (stepfather)
Children	4
Parents	Edward Newbold Lawrence Lydia Ann Lawrence

Early life

Lawrence was born on February 28, 1834 in Bayside, Queens. He was a son of Edward Newbold Lawrence (1805–1839) and Lydia Ann (née Lawrence) Lawrence (1811–1879). After his father's death, his mother married her cousin Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence, who served successively as a U.S. Representative, mayor of New York City, and Collector of the Port of New York.[1] From his mother's second marriage, he had several half-siblings, including Van Wyck Lawrence and James Ogden Lawrence.[2]

He was a descendant of mayor of New York City John Lawrence and John Bowne, both Quakers and pioneer English settlers of Queens. His paternal grandparents were Hannah (née Newbold) Lawrence and merchant John Burling Lawrence,[3] and his maternal grandparents were Anna (née Townsend) Lawrence and Effingham Lawrence.[4] His uncle Effingham Lawrence is known for serving for the shortest term in congressional history, serving for just one day in the U.S. House of Representatives.[5]

Career

After a few years of schooling,[6] he entered the brokerage business at an early age.[3] He was the senior partner in the stock exchange firm of Lawrence & Smith, which dissolved about twenty-five years before his death.[6]

Lawrence was the President of the New York Stock Exchange from 1882 to 1883.[7][8][9] Lawrence was also prominent in Democratic politics and served as Supervisor of the town of Flushing.[9]

During the U.S. Civil War, he commanded the 15th Regiment of the New York National Guard. After being elected a member of the Union Club in October 1881, he served as president from February 13, 1907 until February 14, 1912.[6]

Personal life

In 1855, Lawrence was married to Elizabeth Boyce (1835–1894).[10] Elizabeth was a daughter of Lee Boyce, a merchant from Charleston, South Carolina.[11] In 1847, Lawrence built a mansion in Queens called the Oaks which fronted Oakland Pond in modern-day Alley Pond Park. Today, the neighborhood is known as Oakland Gardens which derives its name from estate.[12] Together, they were the parents of "the four Lawrence sisters, famous for their beauty, who have always been great favorites in society."[13] They were:

• Lillie Lawrence (1857–1920),[14] who married Brig. Gen. Charles Hedges McKinstry, an engineer and army officer.[14]
• Mary "Tibbie" Lawrence (1859–1942),[15] who married stockbroker Frank Worth White (1856–1887) in 1878.[16] After his death, she married Foxhall Parker Keene in 1892.[13][17] Keene was the son of James Robert Keene, a former president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange.[18] They divorced in 1909.[19]
• Elizabeth Lawrence (1862–1906),[20] who married J. Henry Alexandre (1848–1912),[21] a son of Francis Alexandre, in 1887.[22] Alexandre was prominent in steamship circles (the Alexandre Line was bought out by rival Ward Line in 1888).[20]
• Virginia Lee Lawrence (1864–1891),[23] who married Lewis Meredith Howland, a son of Edgar Howland of Howland & Aspinwall, in 1883. Samuel M. Roosevelt, Howland's business partner, was his best man.[24] After her death, Lewis married Leonora von Stosch (they later divorced and Leonora married Sir Edgar Speyer).[25]

His wife died at their residence in Bayside on June 26, 1894.[10] Lawrence died in his townhouse at 57 West 52nd Street, which he had built shortly before his death, on December 24, 1916.[6] He was buried at Lawrence Burying Ground in Bayside.[3]

Descendants

Through his daughter Virginia, he was a grandfather of Elizabeth "Elsie" Lawrence Howland (1885–1973), who married Justice Frederic Kernochan (son of J. Frederic Kernochan and Mary Stuart Whitney Kernochan), in 1910.[26][27]

References

1. Thompson-Stahr, Jane (2001). The Burling Books: Ancestors and Descendants of Edward and Grace Burling, Quakers (1600-2000). Jane K Thompson. p. 518. ISBN 978-0-9613104-0-0. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
2. The New York Times, James O. Lawrence Dead, August 5, 1904
3. "COL. F. N. LAWRENCE DIES IN 83D YEAR--Was President of Union Club and of N. Y. Stock Exchange for Many Years". New York Herald. 25 December 1916. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
4. Lawrence, Thomas (1858). Historical Genealogy of the Lawrence Family: From Their First Landing in this Country A.D. 1635, to the Present Date, July 4th, 1858. Edward O. Jenkins. p. 48. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
5. Washington, Eric K. (2002). Manhattanville: Old Heart of West Harlem. Arcadia Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7385-0986-0. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
6. "F. N. LAWRENCE DIES AT AGE OF 82 Former N. Y. Stock Exchange President Was Head of Union Club. NOTED BREEDER AND RACER OF HORSES Retired from Business 25 Years Ago--Interest in Turf Continued". New-York Tribune. 25 December 1916. p. 9. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
7. James R. Hansen (8 May 2014). A Difficult Par: Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the Making of Modern Golf. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 387–. ISBN 978-0-698-15700-2.
8. Salvador A. Ramirez (2007). The Inside Man: The Life and Times of Mark Hopkins of New York, Michigan, and California. Salvador A. Ramirez. pp. 753–. ISBN 978-0-615-28315-9.
9. "COL. F. N. LAWRENCE DIES AT AGE OF 82 -- Financier, Patron of Art and Music, and Owner of Speedy Horses TWICE STOCK EXCHANGE HEAD Was Commander of the Fifteenth Regiment of New York in the Civil War". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 26 December 1916. p. 10. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
10. "DIED" (PDF). The New York Times. 28 June 1894. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
11. "THE OBITUARY RECORD; Mrs. Elizabeth Boyce Lawrence" (PDF). The New York Times. 27 June 1894. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
12. Oakland Gardens, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed September 23, 2007.
13. "In and About the City; Creates No Surprise. Engagement of Foxhall Keene to Mrs. White Has Been Expected" (PDF). The New York Times. 2 December 1892. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
14. "Mrs. Charles H. McKinstry" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 January 1920. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
15. "MRS. MARY L. KEENE; Daughter Ex-Head of Exchange Once Wife of Foxhall P. Keene" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 April 1942. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
16. "Frank Worth White" (PDF). The New York Times. 19 January 1887. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
17. "Society Topics of the Week" (PDF). The New York Times. 11 December 1892. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
18. "Foxhall P. Keene, Famous Poloist. Captain of the 1913 American Team That Went to England Is Dead in Canada" (PDF). The New York Times. September 26, 1941. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
19. "Foxhall Keene, gentleman sportsman of a gilded age, became a living legend in America at the turn of the century. Here is the amazing story of the man who would never stay down". Sports Illustrated. February 16, 1959. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
20. "MRS. J. HENRY ALEXANDRE DEAD". New-York Tribune. 4 January 1906. p. 7. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
21. "James Henry Alexandre". The Sun. 2 July 1912. p. 11. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
22. "LONG ISLAND WEDDINGS. A Great Season for Matrimonial Ventures Is This". Brooklyn Times-Union. 2 June 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
23. "Died" (PDF). The New York Times. 6 January 1891. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
24. "Events in the Metropolis; Two Fashionable Weddings. a Brilliant Ceremony on Flushing, Long Island" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 December 1883. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
25. "MISS ENID HOWLAND TO WED J.R. HEWITT; Lady Edgar Speyer's Daughter Betrothed to J. Robert Hewitt, Ensign in the U.S. Navy" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 August 1919. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
26. "FREDERIC KERNOCHAN TO WED; City Magistrate to Take Miss Elsie L. Howland as Bride" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 December 1909. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
27. "Judge Kernochan Weds Miss Howland" (PDF). The New York Times. 27 January 1910. Retrieved 21 January 2020.

External links

• Col Frederick Newbold Lawrence at Find a Grave