Lawrence Becker

Lawrence Becker (1869-1947) was an Indiana lawyer and judge who served as Solicitor of the United States Treasury.

Biography

Lawrence Becker was born on August 10, 1869 in Finnentrop, Germany, and when he was 10 years old his family emigrated to the United States.^[1] Becker was raised in Tolleston, Indiana and Montana before attending law school at Valparaiso University, from which he graduated in 1896.^[2]

A Democrat, Becker established a law practice in Hammond, Indiana. From 1898 to 1902 he served as City Attorney and he was Mayor from 1904 to 1911.^[3]

Becker resigned as Mayor to accept appointment as Judge of the Superior Court in Lake County, where he served until 1914.^[4]

In 1915 Becker was appointed Solicitor of the Treasury, and he held this office until 1922, when he accepted a position in the Internal Revenue Service.^[5][6]

In 1934 Becker was again elected a Judge of the Superior Court in Indiana, and he served until being defeated for renomination in 1946.^[7]

Becker died in East Chicago, Indiana on March 12, 1947. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond.^[8]

References

1. Who's Who in the Nation's Capital, Consolidated Publishing Company, Washington, D.C., 1922, page 27
2. A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana and the Calumet Region, edited by William Frederick Howat, Volume 1, 1915, page 235
3. Who Was who in America: With World Notables, 1969-1973, published by Marquis Who's Who, 1973, page 48
4. Courts and lawyers of Indiana, by Leander John Monks, 1916, Volume 2, page 829
5. Official Congressional Directory, by U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Printing, 1915, page 235
6. Annual Report of the Attorney General of the United States, published by U.S. Department of Justice, 1922, page 98
7. Newspaper article, Baran Beats Becker in Judge Race, Hammond Times, May 8, 1946
8. Newspaper article, Lawrence Becker, Former Judge in Lake County, Dies, the Vidette Messenger, March 14, 1947