1 day ago
From the founding of Lawrence University to President Mark Burstein, the university has largely consisted of a white administration. Lawrence University was founded by Amos A. Lawrence, a wealthy merchant from Groton, Massachusetts, about 35 miles northwest of Boston. Amos was a descendant of John Lawrence, who was the first of the family to arrive in America from England in 1635 and later helped establish the town of Groton in 1660. More than a century later, Samuel Lawrence, a descendant of John Lawrence, established an academy in Groton, which is now called the Lawrence Academy at Groton. Samuel had five sons, one of whom was Amos. Amos became a successful businessman and distributed a large amount of his wealth to multiple causes, including the colonization of American Negroes in Liberia, the founding of Kansas State University and organizing regiments in the Civil War. Amos sought to use his wealth to improve his neighborhood and better the lives of those around him.�