Career
During World War II, Lawrence served as a Lieutenant in the 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (VIII Recce) when they landed in Normandy in the first week of July 1944. He was decorated with the Military Cross by King George VI for engineering a bridge in an advance action at the Risle River near Brionne, France. In October 1944, he was injured in a V2 rocket attack near Antwerp, but in February 1945 he returned to his regiment and saw action in Germany to the last day of the war. He was promoted to captain at the end of the war.
Lawrence was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1963 as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). He first represented the Ottawa-area riding of Russell and then, beginning with the 1967 election, representing Carleton East. In 1969, Ontario Premier John Robarts brought Lawrence into the cabinet as minister without portfolio, and promoted him in 1970 to Minister of Financial and Commercial Affairs.
He ran in the 1971 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership convention to succeed Robarts, and came in fifth place. The new premier, Bill Davis, made Lawrence his Minister of Health until 1972 when he became Provincial Secretary for Resources Development.
Lawrence left Queen's Park in 1974, resigning from the legislature to return to his law practice.
He attempted a move to federal politics by running as the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Ottawa—Carleton in the 1980 federal election but was defeated by Liberal Jean-Luc Pépin. He died in Gatineau, Quebec in 2007.
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