He was the son of Sarah Elizabeth Appleton (1822–1891) and Amos Adams Lawrence (1814–1886), a notable textile industrialist, and a member of the influential Boston family, founded by his great-grandfather and American revolutionary, Samuel Lawrence.
hiː wʌzðə sˈʌn ʌv sˈɛɹə ᵻlˈɪzəbəθ ˈæpəltən wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti tˈuː wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wˈʌn ænd ˈeɪmɑːs ˈædəmz lˈɔːɹəns wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹtiːn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks, ɐ nˈoʊɾəbəl tˈɛkstaɪl ɪndˈʌstɹɪəlˌɪst, ænd ɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðɪ ˌɪnfluːˈɛnʃəl bˈɔstən fˈæmɪli, fˈaʊndᵻd baɪ hɪz ɡɹˈeɪtɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ ænd ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃənˌɛɹi, sˈæmjuːl lˈɔːɹəns.