lawyer, manufacturer, author, politician, b. Corning, N.Y. He was brought to Menasha by his parents in 1854. He received his law degree from the Univ. of Wisconsin in 1878 and practiced in Menasha until 1888, when he began his lifetime career of manufacturing wood split pulleys, which were widely distributed on foreign and domestic markets. He wrote Bravest of the Brave (1904), Story of the Rocks and Minerals of Wisconsin (1906), Hist. of Winnebago County, Wisconsin (1908) and numerous articles about the history, geology, and archaeology of Wisconsin. An active Republican, he served six terms as mayor of Menasha (1886-1889, 1893, 1896). Menasha Record, Dec. 1, 1920; M. M. Quaife, Wis. (4 vols., Chicago, 1924); Who's Who in Amer., 5 (1908).

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Publius V. Lawson Papers for details.  See also the Publius V. Lawson Letters.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

Learn More

Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Explore more than 1,600 people, places and events in Wisconsin history.

[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]