Lawrence, Albert Gallatin (1836–1887)
Brigadier General, U.S.A.
Parents: William Beach Lawrence (1800–1881) and Esther Rogers Gracie (1801–1857). Spouse: Eveline McLean “Eva” Kingsbury Taylor (1845–1917). Child: Esther Gracie Lawrence (1872–1976). Kinship: Fourth cousin six times removed of the post–World War II Smith generation.
Family Background Albert Gallatin Lawrence was born into a family prominent in diplomatic and political circles. His father, William Beach Lawrence, served as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island and as Acting Governor. Through his mother, he descended from the influential Gracie family of New York. Albert’s siblings included William Lawrence; Isaac Lawrence; Esther Gracie Lawrence, who married first Dr. W. L. Wheeler and later Count Felix von Voss–Giewitz of Mecklenburg–Schwerin; Cornelia Beach Lawrence, who married Baron von Klenck; and James Gracie King Lawrence, who married Catherine Augusta Le Roy.
Education and Early Career Lawrence attended Harvard College and continued at Harvard Law School, graduating with a law degree in 1858. Although admitted to the bar, he chose not to practice law. He instead entered the diplomatic service as attaché of the United States legation in Vienna, having declined an appointment as Secretary of the Legation.
Civil War Service and Military Distinction At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lawrence returned to the United States and was commissioned a captain in the 54th New York Volunteer Infantry. In 1864 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of the 2nd Regiment United States Colored Cavalry in Virginia. On January 15, 1865, he led the assault on Fort Fisher, losing his left arm in the engagement. For his gallantry, he received a brevet promotion to Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers on March 25, 1865. His heroism earned him the popular title “the Hero of Fort Fisher.”
Marriage and Diplomatic Appointment In September 1865 Lawrence married Eveline McLean “Eva” Kingsbury, the youngest daughter of Gen. Joseph Pannell Taylor and niece of President Zachary Taylor. She was the widow of Capt. Henry Walter Kingsbury, who had been killed at Antietam, and an heiress of the Kingsbury estate.
On October 2, 1866, President Andrew Johnson appointed Lawrence United States Minister to Costa Rica. He presented his credentials on January 18, 1867, and served until June 24, 1868.
Diplomatic Scandal and Divorce During a visit to Washington, a dispute arose between Lawrence and Hon. Amédée Van den Nest, former attaché of the Prussian legation, over correspondence between Van den Nest and Eva Lawrence. The controversy escalated into a duel fought in Belgium. The ensuing sensation forced Van den Nest to resign from diplomatic service and compelled Lawrence to resign his post. The scandal brought an end to the marriage; Albert and Eva subsequently divorced in the 1870s. Eva later married Van den Nest.
Later Life and Politics In 1880 Lawrence publicly broke with the Democratic Party and endorsed the Republican ticket of Garfield and Arthur. The New York Times observed that Democrats were “mortified at the spectacle of a son of the sage of Ochre Point coming out so publicly for Garfield and Arthur.”
Death and Estate Albert Gallatin Lawrence died at the Everett House in New York City on January 1, 1887. His funeral was held at St. Mark’s Church on Stuyvesant Street, and he was buried in the Lawrence family burying grounds in Queens. His daughter inherited his small personal estate and later received a share of her grandfather’s considerably larger estate.