Francis Cooper Lawrance Jr. (May 1, 1858 – March 18, 1904) was an American lawyer and clubman who was prominent in New York society.
Early life
Lawrance was born on May 1, 1858, in Manhattan.
He was the eldest son, and namesake, of Francis Cooper Lawrance (1829–1911) and Frances Adelaide ( Garner) Lawrance (1835–1908). Among his siblings were
Frances Margaret Lawrance (wife of
George Venables Vernon, 7th Baron Vernon in 1885),
[Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,] Thomas Garner Lawrance (who died aged 21), and William Garner Lawrance.
His paternal grandparents were Thomas Lawrance and Margaret Lawrence ( Ireland) Lawrance. His maternal grandparents were Thomas Garner of England and Frances Mathilda ( Thorne) Garner.
Lawrance graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in 1877.
He also studied at
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked ...
where he received his
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...
in 1880 and, afterwards, studied in Stuttgart, Germany.
Career
Lawrance was a lawyer with an office at 27
Pine Street
Pine Street is a major east–west street in Seattle, Washington, United States. It travels parallel to Pike Street between Downtown Seattle and the retail core to Capitol Hill, Seattle, Capitol Hill, the Central District, Seattle, Central Distri ...
in New York City,
although he never practiced law.
He was a member of the
Metropolitan Club
The Metropolitan Club of New York is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded as a gentlemen's club in 1891 for men only, but it was one of the first major clubs in New York to admit women, t ...
, the
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
, the
Union Club, the
South Side Sportsmen's Club
South Side Sportsmen's Club was a recreational club that catered to the wealthy businessmen of Long Island during the North Shore (Long Island)#Gold Coast, gold coast era from the 1870s through the 1960s. Its main clubhouse and other facilities ...
and the
Yale Alumni Association
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
Personal life
In 1881, Lawrance was married to Sarah Eggleston Lanier (1862–1893), a daughter of banker
Charles D. Lanier
Charles D. Lanier (January 19, 1837 – March 6, 1926) was an American banker, and railroad executive who inherited the bulk of his father's fortune, who was a close friend of J.P. Morgan.
Early life
Lanier was born on January 19, 1837, in Madis ...
and granddaughter of
James F. D. Lanier
James Franklin Doughty Lanier II (June 25, 1858 – May 16, 1928) was an American banker and sportsman who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age.
Early life
Lanier was born at his grandmother's residence, 10 Fifth Avenue in New ...
, who founded
Winslow, Lanier & Co. Before her death in 1893, they were the parents of:
*
Charles Lanier Lawrance
Charles Lanier Lawrance (September 30, 1882 – June 24, 1950) was an American aeronautical engineer and an early proponent of air-cooled aircraft engines.
Early life
Lawrance was born on September 30, 1882 in Lenox, Massachusetts, the son of Fr ...
(1882–1950),
who married Emily Margaret Gordon Dix, a daughter of Rev.
Morgan Dix
Morgan Dix (November 1, 1827 in New York City – April 29, 1908) was an American Episcopal Church priest, theologian, and religious author.
Early life
Dix was born on November 1, 1827 in New York City. He was the son of Catherine Morgan, the ado ...
, in 1910.
* Katherine "Kitty" Lanier Lawrance (1893–1936), who married
W. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce und ...
, the
Governor of New York, in 1915.
They divorced in 1928. After their divorce, he married
Marie Norton Whitney, the former wife of
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thorough ...
,
and she married Dr. Eugene H. Pool, President of the
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...
, in 1932.
In 1899, he married
Susan Ridgway Willing
Susan Ridgway Willing Lawrance (August 1, 1866 – May 2, 1933) was an American socialite who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age.
Early life
Willing was born on August 1, 1866 in Newport, Rhode Island. She was the eldest chi ...
(1865–1933) at
Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island.
Susan, the eldest child of Edward Shippen Willing and Alice Caroline (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...
Barton) Willing,
was the sister of
Ava Lowle Willing
Ava Lowle Willing (September 15, 1868 – June 9, 1958) was an American socialite. She was the first wife of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV and later married Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale.
Early life
Ava Lowle Willing was born on Septembe ...
(who married
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sinki ...
).
Before his death, they were the parents of one daughter:
* Frances Alice Willing Lawrance (1901–1989), who married Prince Andrzej
Poniatowski
The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent Polish family that was part of the nobility of Poland. A member of this family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was elected as King of Poland and reigned from 1764 until his abdication ...
, a son of Prince
André Poniatowski
Prince Louis Léopold Charles Marie André Poniatowski (24 January 1864 – 8 March 1954), was a Polish nobleman, member of the House of Poniatowski who became a prominent French financier and industrialist.
Early life
Prince Poniatowski was born ...
, in 1919.
Lawrance died of
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...
on March 18, 1904, aged 45, at Pau, France.
After his death, his widow moved to Paris with her daughter and her step-children were looked after by their paternal grandfather.
Susan died in Paris on May 2, 1933, and was buried at the
American Cathedral in Paris
The American Cathedral in Paris (french: Cathédrale Américaine de Paris), formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is one of the oldest English-speaking churches in Paris. It is the gathering church for the Convocation of Epi ...
. In her will, she left her estate to their daughter and grandson.
Their daughter received all of her jewelry, personal effects, a life estate in a trust of $250,000, a remainder interest in a $40,000 trust and the residuary estate.
Descendants
Through his son Charles, he was the grandmother of Emily Lawrance (1911–2004),
who married author
Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Jr.,
and Francis Cooper Lawrance (1916–2004).
Through his youngest daughter Frances, he was the grandfather of
Marie-André Poniatowski (1921–1945), a soldier who died during the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrance Jr., Francis C.
1858 births
1904 deaths
Yale University alumni
Columbia Law School alumni
Lawyers from Manhattan