Lawrence Westbrook (politician)

Colonel Lawrence Westbrook (23 August 1889 – January 24, 1964) was a Texan politician and official in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A 1908 graduate of the University of Texas and later the University of Texas Law School.[1] Colonel Westbrook also served as a member of the Texas Legislature representing Waco, Texas. During World War I he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army Signal Corps.[2] He was among the pallbearers of Felix Huston Robertson, a war-criminal known for the Saltville Massacre of black soldiers and as the last surviving general of the Confederate States of America. He married Mrs. Martha Wootton Collings in Hot Springs, Arkansas in March 1937.[3] During World War II Colonel Westbrook returned to active duty and was wartime president of the United States Purchasing Board in the South Pacific theater where he was awarded the Order of the British Empire from New Zealand. While serving in the South Pacific he was responsible for a survey of all defense resources for this region.[4] Colonel Westbrook died (1964-01-24)January 24, 1964 in San Angelo, Texas.[5]

  1. ^ 26 January 1964, The New York Times, Lawrence Westbrook, 74, Dies; Roosevelt Administration Aid, p.81
  2. ^ "Col. Westbrook to Wed," The New York Times. 20 March 1937. p.20
  3. ^ "Col. Westbrook to Wed," The New York Times. 20 March 1937. p.20
  4. ^ "3 Americans Honored: New Zealand Awards Medals for Their War Work," The New York Times. 27 September 1947. p.7
  5. ^ 26 January 1964, The New York Times, Lawrence Westbrook, 74, Dies; Roosevelt Administration Aid, p.81