Lawrence, Arthur William (1875–1937)
Parents: William van Duzer Lawrence (1842–1927) and Sarah Elizabth Bates (1845–1926)
Spouse: (1) Ida Virginia Heppe (1873–1934); (2) Hilda Seccomb (1879–1978).
Children: William van Duzer Lawrence (1904–1976) and Christopher Lawrence (1909–1954).
Kinship: Fifth cousin three times removed of the post-World War Two Smith generation.
Education
Arthur W. Lawrence was born in Montreal, Quebec. The family relocated to New York City when he was young. He attended the Berkeley School and Yale University, graduating with a B.A. in 1897. He was a member of the Yale Club, Union League Club, Adirondack Farms Golf Club, and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Business
Arthur William Lawrence was also associated with Davis & Lawrence Company, the pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded by his father. The company, originally established in the Bronx, produced proprietary medicines and related pharmaceutical preparations and had been the foundation of the Lawrence family fortune before their extensive real-estate developments in Westchester County. By the late 1920s Arthur W. Lawrence owned and operated the firm, continuing the enterprise while simultaneously directing the family’s real-estate interests in Bronxville and surrounding communities.
Arthur William Lawrence carried forward and expanded the extensive real-estate enterprises founded by his father, William Van Duzer Lawrence, becoming one of the principal developers in Westchester County in the early twentieth century. After joining the family firm following his graduation from Yale in 1897, he helped administer and enlarge the Lawrence interests in Bronxville and surrounding areas. With his brother Dudley B. Lawrence he assumed control of the family’s real-estate operations, including the development and management of Lawrence Park and Mount Kisco, and the creation of Lawrence Park West as an exclusive residential district. Lawrence served as president of Lawrence Park Realty Company and related enterprises, as well as chairman of the board of Lawrence Farms, Inc., and president of the Lawrence Investment Company of Bronxville and its subsidiary corporations. Under his direction the Lawrence developments continued the family tradition of carefully planned suburban communities, helping shape the residential growth of Westchester County in the early twentieth century. He was also involved in related business ventures, serving as a trustee of the Bronxville Trust Company and a director of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company of New York and the Westchester Title and Trust Company of White Plains, and for a time owned the Yonkers Statesman, one of the state’s oldest newspapers.
Political Work
Lawrence was an active Republican and held several leadership roles in Westchester County politics and civic organizations. He ran for U.S. Congress in the 24th Congressional District (seeking the Republican nomination in 1916), but was defeated—attributing the loss partly to lack of recognition; he briefly acquired and later sold the Yonkers Statesman newspaper to build influence.
He served as treasurer of the Westchester County Republican Committee, former chairman of the Westchester County Transit Commission, former president of the Westchester County Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the executive committee of the Westchester County Commission on Safety (during World War I). As a New York State director of the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, he advocated for repeal of the 18th Amendment and proposed family-oriented beer gardens in public parks, inspired by German models, to allow outdoor gatherings with music.
In the 1930s, he contributed to Depression-era efforts, including membership in advisory committees for President Hoover's Reconstruction Finance Corporation and Frank Vanderlip's Home Mortgage Advisory Committee, focusing on aiding small homeowners with mortgage burdens.
Food Administrator (World War I)
During World War I, Lawrence served as a "dollar-a-year man" in Washington under Herbert Hoover. He was the Food Administrator for Westchester County, director of the Fuel Administration (or fuel supplies) in the county, and involved in wartime resource management and safety initiatives.
Water Commission (Catskill Aqueduct Condemnation)
Lawrence served on the Catskill Aqueduct Condemnation Commission, gaining expertise in land acquisition, purchasing, and condemnation proceedings for New York City's massive Catskill Aqueduct water supply project. This involved handling property rights and condemnations that affected northern Westchester lands and streams (creating reservoirs). His experience here—managing large-scale public land dealings—directly informed his later success in acquiring over $30,000,000 worth of park lands for Westchester County.
Parks Commission
Lawrence was a charter member of the Westchester County Park Commission from its inception in 1922. He initially served as treasurer, then as vice president under V. Everit Macy, and chaired the purchasing/real estate committee for many years, overseeing the acquisition of extensive properties that formed the backbone of Westchester's magnificent parks and boulevards (a system of worldwide note). He resigned in 1928 but was reappointed in 1930, elected president, and held that role until his death in 1937. He was also a member and director of the New York State Council of Parks.
His work helped develop a comprehensive parkway and park system, emphasizing public access, beauty, and family use. Commissioners credited him with major responsibility for its success.