William Lawrence

Early career

In 1841, Lawrence moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio, and there set up his law practice. From 1841 to 1843, he continued his studies, then in the field of medicine. In 1842, he became the Commissioner of Bankruptcy for Logan County.

From 1845 to 1847, Lawrence served as the editor of the Logan Gazette, which later became the Bellefontaine Examiner.

Lawrence was elected and served as the Logan County Prosecutor in 1845.

Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate He also served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, in 1846 and 1847. In 1849, Lawrence was first elected to the Ohio Senate, serving until 1851 when he became the reporter of the Ohio Supreme Court. He returned to the Ohio Senate in 1854. He also served as an editor of Western Law Monthly from 1859 to 1862.

Judgeships and Civil War service Lawrence was appointed a judge of the Union County Court of Common Pleas.

Lawrence was also appointed a judge of the Third District Court in 1857, serving until 1865, resigning to serve in the United States Congress.

In 1866, Lawrence introduced a bill creating the Territory of Lincoln from the land that is now Oklahoma. (This is not to be confused with the State of Lincoln proposal made in 1869 for southern Texas, nor the Lincoln proposed for the Pacific Northwest.) Lawrence reintroduced the bill in 1867. He thereafter voted for the unsuccessful 1867 impeachment resolution when it was voted on by the full House. In March 1868, he again voted to impeach Johnson when the House successfully passed a resolution impeaching Johnson.

In the gap between his third and fourth terms in the House, the returned to Bellefontaine in 1871 and founded the Bellefontaine National Bank ), serving as its first president.

He returned to Congress in 1873, this representing Ohio's 8th Congressional district. Lawrence left Congress again on March 3, 1877. During his second stretch in the House service, Lawrence was the chairman of the Committee on War Claims arising from the American Civil War.

First Comptroller of the Treasury, American Red Cross, and Ratification of the Geneva Convention Lawrence was appointed by President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880 to serve as the First Comptroller of the Treasury, a post he held until 1885. Lawrence then appealed on behalf of Clara Barton to Hayes' successor, James Garfield, to support the creation of the American Red Cross on May 21, 1881. He then served as the organization's first Vice President. Lawrence and Barton were also instrumental in persuading the United States to ratify the Geneva Convention in 1882.

Later life and death In 1891, Lawrence was appointed President of the National Wool Growers Association. He died on May 8, 1899, in Kenton, Ohio. Lawrence is interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery in Bellefontaine, Ohio. The small Ohio community of Lawrenceville is named for him.