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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 53rd Speaker from December 7, 1819 to December 7, 1822. 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). On December 3, 1822, he was elected speaker with a vote of 65 (other votes were John Gilmore – 23 and Jacob Holgate – 8). In the general election of 1820, he received 3,083 votes.

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. He served as state treasurer 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. 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.

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.

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. Lawrence is interred in the Congressional Cemetery.

See also

• Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)

References

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

Sources

1. Carlisle Republican. Vol. 1, no. 6. December 14, 1819. p. 23. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. Berks and Schuylkill Journal. Vol. 7, no. 29. December 14, 1822. p. 3. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. "General Election Return, For 1820". Washington (PA) Reporter. October 16, 1820. p. 3.
4. Public Ledger and Daily Transcript. December 13, 1836. p. 2. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. "Death of the Hon. Joseph Lawrence". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 19, 1842. p. 2.
6. "Democratic Convention". Oracle of Dauphin. January 17, 1824. p. 3.
7. "Great Convention at Wheeling". North American and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia). September 11, 1840. p. 2.
8. "Death of the Hon. Joseph Lawrence". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 19, 1842. p. 2.
9. The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 20, 1842. p. 2. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

v t e Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
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 Cutler Rozzi McClinton
List of Pennsylvania state legislatures

• 1786 births
• 1842 deaths
• Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Politicians from Washington County, Pennsylvania
• Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• State treasurers of Pennsylvania
• Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
• Pennsylvania Democratic-Republicans
• Pennsylvania National Republicans
• National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
• Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• 19th-century people from Pennsylvania
• 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
• 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives