George Newbold Lawrence

George Newbold Lawrence (October 20, 1806 – January 17, 1895) was an American businessman and amateur ornithologist.[1][2]

George Newbold Lawrence
Born(1806-10-20)October 20, 1806
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 1895(1895-01-17) (aged 88)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman, ornithologist

Early life

Lawrence was born in the city of New York on October 20, 1806.[1]

From his youth, Lawrence was a lover of birds and spent much of his spare time studying their habits. At sixteen years of age, he became a clerk in his father's business, becoming a partner in his father's house by age twenty.[1]

Career

Lawrence conducted Pacific bird surveys for Spencer Fullerton Baird and John Cassin, and the three men co-authored Birds of North America in 1860.[1]

He sold his collection of 8,000 bird skins to the American Museum of Natural History in 1887.[3]

Fellow ornithologists honored him by naming one bird genus and 20 species after him,[1] including both the scientific and common name of the Lawrence's goldfinch, first described by Cassin in 1852.[4]

Personal life

Lawrence died on January 17, 1895 in New York City. His funeral was held at his residence, 45 East 21st Street in Manhattan.[5] His wife died five days later on January 22, 1895. Their combined estates totaled $528,900 which were left to their two sons, Elmen N. Lawrence and John B. Lawrence.[6]

References
  1. Elliot, D. G. (January 1896). "In Memoriam: George Newbold Lawrence" (PDF). The Auk. 13 (1): 1–10. doi:10.2307/4068733.
  2. Colby, Frank Moore; Williams, Talcott (1918). "LAWRENCE, George Newbold". The New International Encyclopaedia. vol. 13 (2nd ed.). p. 653.
  3. Mears, Barbara; Mears, Richard (1992). Audubon to Xántus: The Lives of Those Commemorated in North American Bird Names. London, UK: Academic Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-12-487423-7.
  4. Coues, Elliott (1882). The Coues Check List of North American Birds. Boston, MA: Estes and Lauriat. p. 50.
  5. "LAWRENCE George Newbold". The New York Times. 19 January 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  6. "Wills Filed the Same Day". The New York Times. 12 February 1895. p. 14. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
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