Thomas Lawson (August 29, 1789 – May 15, 1861) was born in Princess Anne County, Virginia in 1789. Nothing is known about his early education or medical education, but it is assumed that he trained under local physicians. At the start of the American Civil War, Lawson was 72 and in poor health. The medical staff for the Federal Army consisted of 30 surgeons and 83 assistant-surgeons. On May 15, 1861 he was stricken with apoplexy and died in Norfolk, VA.