James Lawrence was a Democratic politician from the state of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. He was Ohio Attorney General

Ohio Attorney General

The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.-History:...

 1884-1886.

James Lawrence was born January 15, 1851 at Old Washington

Old Washington, Ohio

Old Washington is a village in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. The population was 265 at the 2000 census.-History:In July 1863, Old Washington was the site of a small engagement during the course of Morgan's Raid...

, Guernsey County, Ohio

Guernsey County, Ohio

Guernsey County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 40,087. Its county seat is Cambridge and is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's early settlers came....

, son of Congressman William Lawrence. He attended public schools and graduated from Kenyon College

Kenyon College

Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...

 in 1871. He then studied law at Cambridge, Ohio

Cambridge, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...

 under Joseph W. White

Joseph W. White

Joseph Worthington White was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in Cambridge, Ohio, White attended the common schools and Cambridge Academy.He engaged in mercantile pursuits.He studied law....

, and was admitted to the bar in 1874. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

 and entered the law office of G. H. Foster, eventually becoming his partner, and remained so until 1893. He then became head of Lawrence and Estep.

In 1883 Lawrence was nominated by the Democratic Party for Attorney General, and defeated Republican Moses B. Earnhart in the general election. In 1885, he ran again and was defeated by Republican Jacob A. Kohler

Jacob A. Kohler

Jacob Adams Kohler was a Republican politician from the state of Ohio. He was Ohio Attorney General from 1886-1887.-Biography:Kohler was born August 15, 1835 at Reading, Pennsylvania. When he was four months old, his family moved to Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio. He received a public...

. In 1888 he married Jennie Gardner Porter, and had three children. In 1893 and 1894 he was Corporate Council of the City of Cleveland. In 1902 he was elected Common Pleas Judge

Ohio Courts of Common Pleas

The Ohio Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the state court system of Ohio.The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. They are the only trial courts created by the Ohio Constitution . The duties of the courts are outlined in Article IV, Section...

, and was elected again in 1910. He served until his death July 4, 1914.