In 1644, he was one of the patentees of Hempstead under grant by Dutch Colonial Governor Willem Kieft.
In 1645, Kieft granted the patent of Flushing to Lawrence and 16 others, which was confirmed by English Colonial Governor Richard Nicolls in 1666.
In 1663, Lawrence was appointed by Governor Pieter Stuyvesant as a Commissioner to negotiate with the General Court at Hartford to determine the boundary between New England and New Netherland.
(Seventh and nineteenth NYC Mayor) He was a justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of New York from 1692 until his death.
Mary, a daughter by this marriage, was distinguished by her literary acquirements, and the gifts she bestowed upon Harvard and Yale Colleges.