Fritz G. Lanham | |
|---|---|
 National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress | |
| Chairman of the House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds | |
| In office March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Richard N. Elliott |
| Succeeded by | George A. Dondero (as chairman of the Committee on Public Works) |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's12th district | |
| In office April 19, 1919 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | James C. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Wingate H. Lucas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frederick Garland Lanham (1880-01-03)January 3, 1880 Weatherford, Texas |
| Died | July 31, 1965(1965-07-31) (aged 85) Austin, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Parent(s) | S. W. T. Lanham Sarah Beona Meng |
| Alma mater | Weatherford College University of Texas at Austin |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Frederick Garland "Fritz" Lanham (January 3, 1880 – July 31, 1965) was aDemocratic member of theUnited States House of Representatives from the state ofTexas.
Born inWeatherford, Texas, Lanham was the son of Sarah Beona (née Meng) andSamuel Willis Tucker Lanham, later an eight term member of the U.S. House of Representatives andGovernor of Texas. He was given the nickname "Fritz" by a neighbor. During his father's congressional career, he attended public schools inWashington, D.C., and went on to earn asB.A. fromWeatherford College in 1897. He attendedVanderbilt University from 1897 to 1898, and then theUniversity of Texas at Austin, where he was the first editor of the student newspaper,The Texan, graduating in 1900.[1][2]
After serving as his father's secretary and working in a Weatherford bank, Lanham returned to UT to study law. He subsequently held jobs at the Texas School for the Deaf inAustin and atThe Dallas Morning News. An amateur magician, he wrote two musical comedies with his brother, as well as toured with a stage company in 1907. Although he did not earn a legal degree, Lanham was admitted to thebar in 1909, commencing practice in Weatherford. In addition, he was the first editor ofThe Alcalde, the UT alumni magazine, from 1913. DuringWorld War I, he spoke atLiberty bond drives, solicited subscriptions for theRed Cross, and entertained troops in camps aroundFort Worth.[1][2]
Lanham's first run for office, forParker County Attorney, was unsuccessful and he subsequently moved to Fort Worth in 1917, becoming an assistant county attorney inTarrant County. In 1919, he won a special election to Congress inTexas's 12th congressional district, succeeding fellow DemocratJames Clifton Wilson, who resigned to accept a judgeship on theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He was reelected thirteen times, serving until his retirement in 1946.[2]
In Congress, Lanham served on the committee on theDistrict of Columbia, the Committee on Patents, theCommittee on Public Lands, and theCommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, the last of which he became chairman of starting in 1931. He was the lead sponsor of the National Housing for Defense Act and theCommunity Facilities Act of 1940 (the Lanham Act), both of which passed just prior to American entry intoWorld War II, as well as theLanham Act, a standing federal law which protects againsttrademark infringement,trademark dilution, andfalse advertising.[1]
After retiring from Congress he remained in Washington as a lobbyist for the National Patent Council, the American Fair Trade Council, and the Trinity Improvement Association of Texas, which he was named vice president of in 1946.[1]
Lanham was married twice: first to Beulah Rowe of Austin on October 27, 1908, and then, following her death in 1930, he married Hazel Head on November 17, 1931. He moved to Austin in 1963, where he died on July 31, 1965, of a heart attack. He was buried at City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford.[1][2]
The Fritz G. Lanham Federal Building in Fort Worth, built in 1966, is named in his honor.[3]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 12th congressional district April 19, 1919 – January 3, 1947 | Succeeded by |
| Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1947) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers and Harbors (1883–1947) | ||
| Roads (1913–1947) | ||
| Flood Control (1916–1947) | ||
| Transportation and Infrastructure* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedPublic Works in 80th through 93rd Congresses andPublic Works and Transportation in 94th through 103rd Congresses. | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
