Drawing of Booth Body

[John E.]

(03-13-2014 12:36 PM)wsanto Wrote:  Perhaps Lawrence didn't think he was making enough of his life and inserts himself into his famous father's life and into his father's most famous period. And the best way to do this may have been to refute widely held beliefs and make news.

I'm not saying that is what happened but it is certainly plausible.

Wsanto, you make a great point. One of the most frustrating things about researching is having to wade through the numerous and obvious fabrications made by people who were looking for a little slice of notoriety or fame and were willing to lie to get it. That was definitely not the case. By the time Lawrence Gardner died at the age of 51, he had carved out a very public, successful and prominent life for himself.

I don't think its much of a stretch to state that to Washingtonians, he may have been more popular than his father.

Honestly, when I read the Lawrence Gardner article for the first time, I didn't know who he was. I knew Alexander had a son and a brother who worked with him, but I didn't know much else. After I did my homework, I came away very impressed by the man's life. We would have been hard pressed to have found a more reliable and credible source.

Will you be attending the conference this year? I will be dedicating a portion of my speech to Lawrence Gardner's life. Incidentally, Lawrence's name was in the papers quite often due to his work with the Democratic party. He didn't need to seek out newspapers to satisfy a need for fame. He had it.