Joseph Lawrence (politician, 1786)

Joseph Lawrence (born 1786 in Hunterstown , Adams County , Pennsylvania , †  April 17, 1842 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1825 and 1829 and again in 1841 and 1842 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

In 1789, Joseph Lawrence moved to a farm in Washington County with his widowed mother . He attended public schools in his new home and then worked in agriculture. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Republican Party . Between 1818 and 1824 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania , of which he was president in 1820 and 1822. In the 1820s he became a supporter of US President John Quincy Adams .

In the congressional election of 1824 Lawrence was elected to the 15th  constituency of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives in Washington DC, where he succeeded Thomas Patterson on March 4, 1825 . After a re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1829 . This period was marked by heated discussions between the supporters of Andrew Jackson and those of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay . In 1828 he was not re-elected.

Between 1834 and 1836, Lawrence was again a member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. In 1837 he was State Treasurer in charge of the finances of his home state. It was then that he became a member of the Whig Party . In 1838 he applied unsuccessfully to return to Congress. In the elections of 1840 Lawrence was then re-elected to the US House of Representatives in the 21st District of Pennsylvania, where he replaced Isaac Leet on March 3, 1841 . In Congress he then became chairman of the Committee on Roads and Canals . He was able to exercise this mandate until his death on April 17, 1842. He was buried in the Washington Convention Cemetery. His son George (1818-1904) was also a member of Congress.

Web links

• Joseph Lawrence in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Joseph Lawrence in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Thomas Patterson	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (15th constituency) March 4, 1825 - March 3, 1829	William McCreery
Isaac Leet	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (21st constituency) March 4, 1841 - April 17, 1842	Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan