M. Larry Lawrence

M. Larry Lawrence

Maurice Larry Lawrence (August 16, 1926 – January 10, 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 .

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 up the story in hopes of getting into San Diego's military society. When he claimed he was torpedoed he was in fact at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago during March 1945. In Lawrence's falsified biography in Who's Who he substituted the University of Arizona for Wilbur Wright College, claimed membership in a veteran's association, and claimed to be on the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Commission. He gave a total of about $10 million to the Democratic Party over his life. He gave $200,000 to help Bill Clinton get elected in 1992. He and Bill Clinton became good friends and Bill took his first vacation as President at Lawrences's mansion in California .

In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton appointed Lawrence as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland . His opponents had raised the issue of excessive contributions to Democratic Party campaigns. In 1994, the Federal Election Commission ruled that Lawrence exceeded a $25,000 limit on the amount an individual can give to help finance an election campaign in one year. As a result, he was fined $7,179, the amount of his excess contributions.

Lawrence was a licensed general contractor, real estate broker, insurance broker and agent. He also held the position of Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer for numerous companies, including China Basin Properties, Ltd., Del Coronado Travel & Properties, and the Lawrence Investment Group.

Lawrence was a longtime 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.

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.

After his death, his fourth wife Sheila asked the White House and US State Department to bury him in Arlington National Cemetery. The Army checked World War II service records but found no mention of him. Nor did he 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, arguing that a burial for him at Arlington National Cemetery would be appropriate. This position was political not military, but was approved.

Lawrence was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Bill Clinton presided over the burial at Arlington and delivered the eulogy. In 1997, Lawrence's body was disinterred and brought to California after congressional investigators searched military records and found no evidence that he was ever in the Merchant Marines.

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.