Author: Lawson, James
Biography:
LAWSON, James (1799-1880: WBIS)
He was the son of a Glasgow merchant, James Lawson; the name of his mother is not known. He matriculated at Glasgow University in 1813 but left without a degree in 1815, when he emigrated to New York to join his uncle's firm as an accountant. He began sending contributions to the city's Literary Gazette, and when the firm failed in 1826 he became a fulltime writer and editor of newspapers and anthologies. He recommended the work of American writers for the Scottish annual The Literary Coronal in 1821 and later edited The Columbian Lyre of 1828, also published in Glasgow. His own writings typically appeared anonymously and were not very successful, but he promoted other writers in America and abroad. In 1833, though he continued to contribute to newspapers and magazines, he gave up editing and went into the business of marine insurance, where he remained for the rest of his working life. After this final career change, he married Mary Eliza Donaldson (d 1886) and set up house in Yonkers, where he died. There is no record of children. (ANBO 16 Sept. 2019; Appleton)