Lawrence O. Lawson


Lawrence Oscar Lawson was appointed the keeper of the Evanston, Illinois, Life–Saving Station Number 12, District 11 of the United States Life-Saving Service in 1880 off the coast of Lake Michigan. In 1899, Lawson led the crew of his surfboat on a heroic rescue of all 18 crewmen of the freighter Calumet. He was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on October 17, 1890.

Life and career

Lawson was born September 11, 1842, near Kalmar, Sweden. He came to the United States in 1861 while serving a merchant seaman. He married Petrine Wold in Chicago in 1876. He retired in 1903.

Legacy

In 2010, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, the U.S. Coast Guard's senior enlisted person at the time, lobbied for the new s to be named after enlisted Coast Guardsmen, or personnel from its precursor services, who had distinguished themselves by their heroism.
The USCGC Lawrence O. Lawson was the 20th cutter to be launched.