His snowy thatch and frosty eyes behind thick rimless glasses made him look like a crusty old literary lion. In fact, David Leo Lawrence, former Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania, was one of the shrewdest, most powerful political bosses of modern times; indeed, until his death last week at 77, he had spent every waking day of his adult life as a professional politician.
Influence & Intellect. Born in Pittsburgh on June 18, 1889, he went to work at 14 as an office boy for a leader of the moribund local Democratic machine. As labor's influence began to grow, the party...
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