Joseph Lawrence (Pennsylvania)

Joseph Lawrence (1786 – April 17, 1842) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Early life

Joseph Lawrence (father of George Van Eman Lawrence) was born near Hunterstown, Pennsylvania. He moved with his widowed mother to a farm in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1789, and attended the common schools. He engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1818 to 1824 and served as speaker from 1820 to 1824. On December 7, 1819, he was elected speaker with a vote of 56 of 93 representatives voting, out of 94 (other votes were: Phineas Jenks – 21, Rees Hill – 14, Wilson Smith – 1, William Lehman – 1).^[1] On December 3, 1822, he was elected speaker with a vote of 65 (other votes were John Gilmore – 23 and Jacob Holgate – 8).^[2] In the general election of 1820, he received 3,083 votes.^[3]

United States Congress

He was elected as an Adams candidate to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1828 to the Twenty-first Congress. He was again a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1834 to 1836. He was nominated for the United States Senate in 1836, along with future President James Buchanan and others.^[4] He served as state treasurer^[5] in 1837. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress and served until his death in Washington, D.C. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Roads and Canals during the Twenty-seventh Congress.

Other political activities

Lawrence served as chairman of the Democratic convention of PA state legislators in 1824.^[6] At the Whig Convention at Wheeling (in Virginia at the time but now West Virginia) in 1840, Lawrence was president of the Pennsylvania delegation. He individually introduced all the soldiers who fought in the American Revolution who were present at the convention.^[7]

Death

His death occurred shortly after 11 am. He had been ill for approximately two weeks prior to death; his eldest son and son's wife died weeks before him.^[8]

Memorial

On Monday, April 18, 1842, William Wallace Irwin of Pennsylvania took to the floor of the House of Representatives to announce Lawrence's death. He followed with a eulogy. This was the only business transacted in the House on that day. After customary arrangements, the House adjourned for the day.^[9] Lawrence is interred in the Congressional Cemetery.

See also

• Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

References

• United States Congress. "Joseph Lawrence (id: L000137)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 
• The Political Graveyard

Sources

Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (since 1791)
Bingham Wynkoop Latimer Evans Weaver Snyder Porter Snyder Boileau Engle Weber Tod R. Smith St. Clair Holgate Hill Davidson Hill J. Lawrence Gilmore J. Lawrence Sutherland Ritner Middleswarth F. Smith Laporte Findley Anderson W. Patterson J. Thompson Middleswarth Dewart Hopkins Crabb Snowden H. Wright Snowden F. Patterson Cooper Packer McCalmont Cessna Rhey Schell Chase Strong R. Wright Getz Longaker W. Lawrence Davis Rowe Cessna Johnson Olmstead Kelley Glass Davis Clark Strang Webb Elliott McCormick S. Patterson Myer Long Hewitt Faunce Graham Boyer C. Thompson Walton Boyer Farr Marshall Walton McClain Cox Shreve Alter Ambler Baldwin Spangler Whitaker Goodnough Bluett McClure Hess Goodnough Talbot Sarig Furman Turner Kilroy Fiss Lichtenwalter Sorg C. Smith Andrews Helm Andrews Helm Hamilton Lee Fineman Lee Fineman Irvis Seltzer Ryan Irvis Manderino O'Donnell DeWeese Ryan Perzel O'Brien McCall S. Smith Turzai