Nathaniel Lawrence

Nathaniel Lawrence (July 11, 1761 – July 15, 1797) was an American lawyer and politician.^[1]

Nathaniel Lawrence
Nathaniel Lawrence, ca. 1790, portrait miniature, artist unknown (Frick Photoarchive)
New York State Attorney General
In office December 24, 1792 – November 13, 1795
Governor	George Clinton John Jay
Preceded by	Morgan Lewis
Succeeded by	Josiah Ogden Hoffman
Personal details
Born	(1761-07-11)July 11, 1761 Newtown, Queens County, New York
Died	July 15, 1797(1797-07-15) (aged 36) Hempstead, then Queens, now Nassau County, New York
Nationality	American

Life

He was the son of Thomas Lawrence (1733—1816; brother of Jonathan Lawrence) and Elizabeth (Fish) Lawrence. He attended Princeton College, but left to fight in the American Revolutionary War as a lieutenant. In 1788, he was a delegate to the New York State Convention which ratified the U.S. Constitution. He was Secretary to the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York from 1790 to 1794. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1791, 1792, 1795 and 1796. He was New York State Attorney General from 1792 to 1795.

He was a member of the New York Society Library, which has records of books he borrowed in 1791 and 1792.^[2]

On February 16, 1796, he was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the First District, comprising Suffolk, Queens, Kings, Richmond and Westchester Counties, and died in office.

He married Elizabeth Berrien (1762–1800; aunt of John M. Berrien), and they had two daughters: Margaret Elizabeth Lawrence who married Philip Lindsley, and Elizabeth Lawrence who died in infancy.