Lawrence, John Watson (1800–1888)

U.S. Congressman

Parents: Effingham Lawrence (1760–1800) and Elizabeth Watson (1763–1852). Spouse: Mary King Bowne (1808–1874), daughter of Walter Bowne, Mayor of New York City. Children: Caroline Bowne Lawrence (1827–1869), Eliza Southgate Lawrence (1828–1858), Mary Bowne Lawrence (1830–1898), Emily Lawrence (1832–1910), Anna Louise Lawrence (1834–1908), Walter Bowne Lawrence (1839–1912), Frances Lawrence (1840–1934), Rebecca Lawrence (1841–1848), Isabella Lawrence (1846–1914), and Robert Bowne Lawrence (1852–1942). Kinship: First cousin five times removed of the post–World War II Smith generation.

Biography: John Watson Lawrence was born in Flushing, New York, on August 19, 1800. He attended local schools and began his career as a mercantile clerk, in which he soon prospered. In 1836 he built his residence, Willow Bank (see Houses and Estates), on a portion of the Lawrence estate on the Flushing River originally granted to William Lawrence. Willow Bank became one of the best-known early river estates in Flushing, noted for its landscaped grounds and its association with prominent visitors. His marriage into the Bowne family linked him to generations of Bowne civic leadership in Queens and strengthened his own role in local affairs.

He served as president of the village of Flushing from 1835 to 1845, and was a member of the New York State Assembly for Queens County in 1841 and 1842. He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth Congress, serving from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. Lawrence later served as a trustee of the village of Flushing from 1860 to 1875. He died in 1888 and was buried in Flushing.