Abraham Riker Lawrence

Abraham Riker Lawrence (September 19, 1832 – February 14, 1917) He was one of eleven children born to John L. Lawrence (1785–1849) and Sarah Augusta Lawrence, née Smith (1794–1877). Among his siblings was Ann Middleton Suydam, née Lawrence who married John Richard Suydam, a merchant and "gentleman well-known in New-York society for his genial and hospitably qualities" (parents of Jane Mesier Suydam); Richard Montgomery Lawrence; and Charles William Lawrence. Among his extended family were uncles, Congressmen Samuel Lawrence and William T. Lawrence, as well as William Beach Lawrence, the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, and Brigadier General Albert G. Lawrence.

In 1867, he was a member of the Constitutional Convention. In 1870, he was one of the founders of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, serving as vice-president in 1905 and 1906.

In 1872, Lawrence, then a lawyer doing business at 25 Nassau Street, was selected by both Tammany Hall, even though he had been a vocal opponent of Tammany, and the Greeleyites, as the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City against the O'Brien, the Apollo candidate, and William Frederick Havemeyer, the Republican candidate. Lawrence came in second place, losing to Havemeyer, in what became Havemeyer's third non-consecutive term as mayor. From 1911 until his death, he served as the official Referee of the Supreme Court. He previously served as fourth vice-president in 1878, second vice-president in 1879, and first vice-president from 1880 to 1881.

Personal life In 1860, Lawrence was married to Elizabeth "Eliza" Williams Miner (1838–1915). Eliza was the only daughter of Dr. William Miner and Julia Caroline (née Williams) Miner. Together, Eliza and Abraham were the parents of:

William Miner Lawrence (1861–1935), a member of the New York State Assembly in 1891 who married Lavinia Oliver (1869–1916).

Lawrence died at his home, 69 Washington Place in New York City, on February 14, 1917. He was buried at the Lawrence Family Cemetery, on 20th Road and 35th Street, in Astoria, Queens.

Descendants Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Oliver P. Lawrence (1892–1975), a U.S. Navy veteran, Clement Lawrence, who died young, and Ruth Lawrence (1902–1992), who married Stuart M. Briggs, son of G. Loring Briggs, in 1926. Ruth, who graduated from Wellesley College in 1925, was one of only five non-family members to inherit from Hetty Green, through her mentorship relationship with Green's son, Edward Howland Robinson Green.