Lawrence Becker (August 10, 1869 – March 12, 1947) was an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

lawyer and judge who served as

Solicitor of the United States Treasury The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury. Function The Solicitor of the Treasury served as legal advisor to th ...

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. Becker was raised in

Tolleston, Indiana Tolleston is a neighborhood and former town in west-central Gary, Indiana. It is situated south of Ambridge, west of Midtown, east of Westside and north of Black Oak. Tolleston is the site of two large city parks (MC Bennett Park and Tolleston ...

, and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

before attending law school at Valparaiso University, from which he graduated in 1896. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Becker established a law practice in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

. From 1898 to 1902 he served as City Attorney and he was Mayor from 1904 to 1911. Becker resigned as mayor to accept appointment as Judge of the Superior Court in Lake County, where he served until 1914. 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 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

. In 1934 Becker was again elected a Judge of the Superior Court in Indiana, and he served until being defeated for renomination in 1946. Becker died in East Chicago, Indiana, on March 12, 1947. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond.Newspaper article, Lawrence Becker, Former Judge in Lake County, Dies, the Vidette Messenger, March 14, 1947

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Lawrence 1869 births 1947 deaths Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States Indiana lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. United States Department of the Treasury officials Indiana Democrats Valparaiso University alumni