Lawrence Haggerty (1860 - 1918)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Lawrence's lifetime.

In 1860, in the year that Lawrence Haggerty was born, on February 26th, near Eureka California, white settlers attacked a tribe of Wiyot Indians on Indian Island. Over 60 women, children and older people died. Bret Harte - a writer and friend of Mark Twain - reported the news about the massacre to the papers in San Francisco.

In 1872, he was only 12 years old when on May 22nd, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Amnesty Act of 1872. The Act restored full civil rights to secessionists, including about 150,000 former slaves who had fought in the Confederate Army. About 500 former Confederate sympathizers were not allowed their full civil rights.

In 1885, he was 25 years old when Germany's Karl Benz built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which had an internal combustion engine. It is considered to be the world's first automobile. The Benz cost $150 - just under $4,000 in today's money.

In 1897, he was 37 years old when on September 21st, editor and publisher Francis P. Church responded to a letter to the editor from Virginia O'Hanlon, 8 years old. Virginia's father had told her that "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." So she wrote to the Sun, asking if there was a Santa Claus. Church responded with the now famous editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".

In 1918, in the year of Lawrence Haggerty's passing, federal spending was $12.68 billion, unemployment was 1.4% and the cost of a first-class stamp was 3 cents.