Samuel Lawrason
| Samuel McCutchon Lawrason | |
Louisiana State Senator for
East and West Feliciana parishes | |
| In office 1896 – 1900 | |
| Preceded by | D. W. Pipes |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | R. Emerson Thompson |
| In office 1920 – 1924 | |
| Preceded by | D. M. Pipes |
| Succeeded by | J. L. Street |
| Born | July 31, 1852 New Orleans Louisiana, USA |
| Died | November 8, 1924 (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in t. Francisville, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Mathews "Hattie" Lawrason (married 1875-1924, his death) |
| Children | Samuel Lawrason, Jr. (died at three months of age in 1891)
Zelia Lawrason |
| Residence | St. Francisville West Feliciana Parish |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia
Tulane University Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Samuel McCutchon Lawrason (July 31, 1852 – November 8, 1924)[1] was an attorney who served two nonconsecutive terms in the Louisiana State Senate for East and West Feliciana Parish, located north of the capital city of Baton Rouge. He is principally known for the Lawrason Act of 1898, by which municipalities in Louisiana may incorporate into towns or cities without specific clearance from the state legislature.[2][3]
Background
Lawrason was born in New Orleans to George Carson Lawrason, I (1816-1874), and the former Zelia Henderson McCutcheon (1828-1864).[1] He was educated in France and Spain before he received a degree in 1872 in civil engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Two years later he received an LL.D. degree from the Tulane University Law School, then part of the institution known as the University of Louisiana at New Orleans, where he susequently launched his law practice. Lawrason also held interests in cotton and sugar planting at different locations along the Mississippi River.[2]
In 1875, Lawrason married the former Harriet "Hattie" Mathews (1856-1927), daughter of Charles Lewis Mathews and the former Penelope Stewart. He then relocated his law practice and residence to West Feliciana Parish. The couple had nine children: Zelia Lawrason (1876-1916), Anne Mathews Lawrason Butler (1878-1962), George C. Lawrason, II (1879-1941), Charles Lawrason, Helen Stewart Lawrason Kilpatrick (1884-1963), Margaret Butler Lawrason (1886-1977), Thomas Butler Lawrason, Sr., and Levering Lawrason (1892-1979).[1] In 1891, the Lawrasons' next-to-the-youngest child, Samuel, Jr., died at three months of age on May 8.[4]
Lawrason was affiliated with the Grace Episcopal in St. Francisville, the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish. He was also a member of the Masonic lodge.[2]
Career
In 1876, Lawrason was elected as parish judge and served until 1879, when the position was abolished. He was active in the Ballot Reform League and served on the West Feliciana Parish School Board from 1884 to 1905. From 1887 to 1923, he was a member of the board of supervisors of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, through which forum he became an early advocate of co-education.[2]
Lawrason's senatorial terms were twenty years apart -- 1896-1900 and 1920-1924.[5] He was the vice-president of the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1898, the same year that he authored the Lawrason Act. In 1908, he ran unsuccessfully for the office of lieutenant governor, losing to his fellow Democrat, Paul M. Lambremont. From 1908 to 1912, Lawrason was a member of the Louisiana State Board of Education (now the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education), with parallel service still on the LSU board of supervisors.[2] Lawrason's place of death is unknown. He is interred beside his wife and most of his children at the Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in St. Francisville.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Samuel McCutcheon Lawrason. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lawrason, Samuel McCutcheon. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography; Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved on May 11, 2020.
- ↑ A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography uses 1909-1924 files from the law firm Lawrason & Kilbourne in St. Francisville, Louisiana, and certain West Feliciana Parish records in writing its Lawrason biography.
- ↑ Samuel Lawrason. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2020.
- ↑ Membership of the Louisiana Senate, 1880 - Present (East and West Feliciana parishes). Louisiana State Senate. Retrieved on May 11, 2020.
- ↑ The New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 9, 1924.