Necrology of Toledo's Woodlawn Cemetery
George W. Lathrop
George W. Lathrop was former Toledo postmaster and Lucas county commissioner. He was born September 9, 1866 on a farm in Richfield Township. When he was four his mother died. He spent the first part his life farming and he attended Sylvania high school. After high school he spent some time at a country school teaching children their A,B,Cs.Minute Biographies: George W. Lathrop, (Toledo Blade, 23 February 1933). He took the civil service examination for a Post Office position after moving to Toledo in 1887. In May 1888 he was appointed a Post Office clerk.(George W. Lathrop Dies In His Sleep Of Heart Disease, Toledo News Bee, 8 September 1936).
George Lathrop worked his way up the ladder at the Post Office becoming a foreman, assistant superintendent and finally a superintendent. In June 1920, President Woodrow Wilson appointed him postmaster. He was highly respected for his work as the president of the Ohio Postmasters Association and vice-president of the National Association of Postmasters.Minute Biographies.
In 1924, George Lathrop quit the Post Office to open a contracting business, George W. Lathrop and Sons.George W. Lathrop Dies In His Sleep... The company built some of Toledos finest homes.Minute Biographies. In 1931, he decided to run for the unexpired term of Lucas County Commissioner. He won and was re-elected two years later for a four year term.Commissioner Lathrop Dies In His Sleep, (Toledo Blade, 8 September 1936). He considered as his biggest problem the relief of the countys unemployed.Minute Biographies. As Commissioner one of Lathrops chief concerns was the construction of the William W. Roche Tuberculosis Sanitarium.George W. Lathrop Dies In His Sleep... He also used his office and his membership in the Rotary Club to promote the interests of crippled children.
George Lathrop joined the Rotary Club in 1920 and he served as a director in 1926. He was also a Mason and member of the Chamber of Commerce and the First Unitarian Church. George and his wife Caroline were the parents of two sons Walter and Albert. He died from a heart attack on September 7, 1932.(Commissioner Lathrop Dies In His Sleep.).
