Thomas W. Lawson (businessman)

Thomas William Lawson
Born	Charlestown, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	7 February 1925(1925-02-07) (aged 67) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, author
Known for	Stock market reforms, copper mining ventures, novel "Friday the Thirteenth"
Notable work	Frenzied Finance, Friday the Thirteenth

Thomas William Lawson (February 26, 1857 – February 7, 1925) was an American entrepreneur and author. Known as a contentious figure in Boston’s stock promotion scene, he gained recognition both for pushing stock market reforms and accumulating wealth through questionable stock dealings.

Early life

Lawson was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, to Thomas and Anna Maria (née Loring). His father, who worked as a carpenter, passed away when Lawson was just eight years old.

Career

At the age of 12, Lawson left home to take a position as a clerk at a Boston bank, where he quickly began engaging in stock speculation. He focused primarily on copper-mining stocks—a prominent sector in Boston’s market—and became a multimillionaire during the copper boom of the late 1890s. He also invested in ventures aimed at transforming Grand Rivers, Kentucky into a leading steel manufacturing hub and constructed the $6 million Dreamwold estate in Scituate, Massachusetts. In 1918, Lawson ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, securing third place with 5.26% of the vote.

In 1899, he joined forces with Henry H. Rogers and William Rockefeller to establish the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company by merging several copper mines concentrated mainly in Butte, Montana, thereby gaining control over much of the copper market. The company encountered persistent criticism and was renamed Anaconda Copper Mining Company in 1915. Eventually, Lawson distanced himself from its financial backers and became an outspoken proponent of reform within the financial sector.

Death

Lawson passed away from diabetes on February 7, 1925, in Boston and was laid to rest beside his wife.

Personal life

In 1878, Lawson married Jeannie Augusta Goodwillie (1857–1906). Together they had six children: Gladys, Dorothy, Arnold Lawson, Marian, Douglas, and Jean.

Legacy and honors

The seven-masted schooner Thomas W. Lawson, the only vessel of its kind ever constructed, was named in his honor. A deeply superstitious man, Lawson authored the novel Friday the Thirteenth, which centers on a broker who causes a Wall Street crash on that date; intriguingly, the Thomas W. Lawson, in which he held significant investment, was wrecked near the Isles of Scilly around 2:30 am GMT on Saturday December 14, 1907—although for Lawson in Boston it remained Friday the 13th.

He is also associated with the Lawson sofa in the United States—a large, square-shaped overstuffed couch featuring loose cushions and pillows—designed for him around the early 20th century.

The Lawson Tower, originally part of his Dreamwold estate, still stands today as a water tower with shingled siding and an observation platform offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Works

• The Krank: His Language and What it Means (1888), a dictionary of baseball terminology
• History of the Republican Party
• The Lawson History of the America's Cup (1902), co-written with Winfield M. Thompson
• Frenzied Finance, the Crime of Amalgamated (1906), a provocative and commercially successful exposé detailing the creation of Amalgamated Copper Company (Anaconda Copper)
• Friday the Thirteenth (1907), a critical examination of the American stock market
• The Remedy (1912)
• The High Cost of Living (1913)
• The Leak (1919)

Bibliography

• Frenzied Finance: The Amalgamated Scandal

External links

• Editorial cartoons and photographs of Thomas W. Lawson