Laurence Hawley Watres (July 18, 1882 – February 6, 1964) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life and education

Laurence H. Watres was born in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, to

Louis Arthur Watres Louis Arthur Watres (April 21, 1851 – June 28, 1937) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 20th district from 1883 to 1890 and as the fifth lieutenant governor o ...

and Effie J. (Hawley) Watres. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1904 and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1907. He was admitted to the bar in 1907 and commenced practice in Scranton.

Military service

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Watres served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 108th Machine Gun Battalion of the 28th Division. He was promoted to major and discharged on May 28, 1919. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

and the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Medal. After the war, Watres assisted in reorganizing the 109th Ninth Infantry Regiment of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

and served as lieutenant colonel.

Congressional Service

Watres was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

. He resumed the practice of law in Scranton until 1951 when he moved to

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

Community service

Laurence served as Executive Officer of the

Order of DeMolay DeMolay International is an international fraternal organization for young men ages 12 to 21. It was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1919 and named for Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. DeMolay was incorporat ...

in Pennsylvania from 1939 to 1951. He also served as Grand Master of the International Supreme Council from 1947 to 1948.

Death and burial

He died while vacationing in

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. San ...

, and is interred in Glenwood Mausoleum in

Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Clarks Summit is a borough in Lackawanna County, northwest of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 5,108 at the 2020 census. It is also the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476. History T ...

Family

Watres never married, and had no children.

Footnotes

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-10
The Political GraveyardPast Executive Officers of Pennsylvania DeMolay
1882 births 1964 deaths Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania United States Army officers American military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Harvard Law School alumni Princeton University alumni Politicians from East Orange, New Jersey Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from New Jersey {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub