Introduction
Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence (February 28, 1791 – February 20, 1861) was a politician from New York. He became the first popularly elected Mayor of New York City after the law was changed in 1834.
Biography
He was born in Flushing, New York on February 28, 1791. Lawrence attended the public schools and moved to New York City in 1812, he engaged in mercantile pursuits. He had a son, James Ogden Lawrence (died August 1, 1904).
Lawrence was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third Congress, serving from March 4, 1833, to May 14, 1834, when he resigned, becoming mayor of New York (1834–1837). He also served as director in several banks and trust companies and Collector of the Port of New York (1845–1849).
Lawrence died in Flushing on February 20, 1861. He was interred in the family burying ground in Bayside, New York.
Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence was a cousin of Effingham Lawrence.