He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lyman Abbott. He graduated from Amherst College in 1881. In 1891, he became president of the Outlook Company. As well as being a close friend to Theodore Roosevelt, throughout almost his whole life, he was also secretary to Roosevelt during the latter's tour of Europe and Africa (1909–10), and edited Roosevelt's African and European Addresses (1910). He was the author of an article on Theodore Roosevelt in the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), and of Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt (1919) and The Story of NYLIC (1930). He also edited The Letters of Archie Butt: Personal Aide to President Roosevelt (1924)

• Clara Whitehill Hunt
• Michael Ableman
• Adeline Pond Adams

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

• Amherst College alumni entry
• Books from 1930 with US copyright not renewed (source for 1930 book and death date)
• Works by Lawrence Fraser Abbott at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Lawrence Fraser Abbott at Internet Archive