Dr. Charles Solomon Lawrence was born on this day in 1878, in Stokes County, to William A. and Matilda Lawrence.
He attended Siloam Academy, then enlisted in the United States Army in 1897 and served for six years.
After his military service, he attended George Washington University in Washington, D. C., and graduated in medicine in 1908. He passed the medical boards in 1908 and came to Winston-Salem to begin his medical practice.
Charles married Alice George in 1909.
When the United States entered the World War I, Dr. Lawrence received a commission as a captain in the medical corps. He and Dr. John Wesley Long of Greensboro organized a hospital unit. He received several promotions, and was a lieutenant colonel when he went to France in 1918, as commander of Base Hospital 61.
Dr. Lawrence was discharged in 1919, and returned to the United States, with a commission in the Reserve as a colonel.
With Dr. G. C. Cooke, he established the Lawrence Hospital. In addition to his work as a surgeon at the hospital, he took many post-graduate courses to broaden his knowledge of the profession, both in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Lawrence was honored in his profession by several medical organizations. He served as president of the North Carolina Hospital Association and the Forsyth County Medical Society.
He was the first president of the Winston-Salem Lions Club. He was also active in organizations related to his military service, such as the Clyde Bolling Post 55 of the American Legion. And, he served as a member of the board of trustees of the City Hospital when it opened.
Dr. Lawrence passed away in 1930, in Richmond, where he had gone for an operation.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
