Larry Lawrence

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Maurice Larry Lawrence, a.k.a M. Larry Lawrence (1926–1996) was a United States Ambassador to Switzerland. He was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. In 1991, Forbes magazine named Lawrence among the 400 richest Americans and estimated his fortune at $315 million. Lawrence purchased luxury resort Hotel Del Coronado in 1963. The family sold the hotel shortly after his death in 1996 [1].

He married Geraldine Polland in 1949. He was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from California in 1964, 1968 and 1972. He claimed to have served and been injured in the Merchant Marine on the S.S. Horace Bushnell during World War II, when his ship was torpedoed in the Arctic Ocean as it was going to the Russian port of Murmansk. This false claim was discovered a year after his death, in fact Lawrence had dodged the draft. It is now known that he made the story in hope to get into San Diego's military society. When he claimed he was torpedoed he was in fact at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago during March of 1945. He gave a total of about $10 million to the Democratic Party over his life. He gave $200,000 to help Bill Clinton elected in 1992. He and Bill Clinton became good friend and Bill took his first vacation as President at Lawrences's mansion in California [2].

Lawrence was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1994 as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland [3]. His opponents had raised the issue of excessive contributions to Democratic Party campaigns; In 1994, the Federal Election Commission said Lawrence exceeded a $25,000 limit on the amount an individual can give to help finance an election campaign in one year; He was fined $7,179, the amount of his excess contributions. Lawrence was a licensed general contractor, real estate broker, insurance broker and agent, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer or partner of numerous companies. Among them were China Basin Properties, Ltd., Del Coronado Travel & Properties, and the Lawrence Investment Group, plus many others. [4]

Lawrence was a long time resident of Coronado, California, living at Crown Manor. He has been credited by former Democratic Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin as one of the key business leaders who became major advocates for building the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

Before his death Lawrence asked the White House and US State Department to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The Army checked for World War II service and found no record of him, he did not appear in the Coast Guard's records of merchant seamen and did not appear on any documents of the 1945 voyage of the Horace Bushnell, including the ship's list of passengers. The State Department told the Army to check again. The second check came back the same. Richard Holbrooke, an assistant secretary of state, wrote a letter to the White House praising Lawrence, and saying that a burial for him at Arlington National Cemetery would be appropriate. This position was political not military, but was approved. On September 15, 1998 Richard Holbrooke disclosed that he failed to report on his financial disclosure statement a gift worth more than $12,000 in lodgings from Larry Lawrence.

Eligibility for burial at Arlington is very narrow as space is limited; only highly decorated veterans, with a Purple Heart or Silver Star are now interned there. The Clinton Administration put in for over 66 waivers to this rules. Most waivers are so family members can be buried by eligible family members.

Lawrence died at age 69 in Switzerland on January 10, 1996. He had suffered from leukemia and dyscrasia, a blood disorder that may have suppressed his immune system and made him susceptible to infections.[5] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Bill Clinton presided over Lawrence's burial at Arlington and delivered the eulogy. In 1997 his body was disinterred and brought to California after congressional investigators searched military records and found no evidence that Lawrence was ever in the Merchant Marine.[6]

[edit] Family

Lawrence was married to the former Shelia Davis, originally from Brushfork, West Virginia[7], who-- after a bitter 2001 child custody battle with cartoonist Steve Kelley moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she still resides.