Lawrence Wood "Chip" Robert Jr. (1889–1976) was a 1908 graduate of the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

and founder of noted Atlanta engineering and architectural firm,

Robert and Company Robert and Company is an architectural engineering firm based in Atlanta, Georgia with multiple offices in the southern United States. It was founded in 1917. Its founder was L.W. "Chip" Robert Jr. The firm provides multiple services including ...

. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the early years of the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

Early life and education

While at Georgia Tech, Robert was the captain of the cross country team in 1906 and the

Georgia Tech football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Competitors in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the Football ...

and baseball teams in 1908, and earned the maximum of 12 varsity letters. Robert attended Georgia Tech from the fall of 1903 until the summer of 1909, graduating with a degree in civil engineering 1908 and one in experimental engineering in 1909.

Career

He founded

, an architectural firm, in 1917. Robert was the president of the Atlanta Crackers, Atlanta's minor league baseball team. Robert was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and served from 1933 to 1936; he supervised the Public Works of Art Project, the first arts project of the

. He was then appointed secretary of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

in 1936, and was the executive officer of the Conference of Southeastern Governors in November 1937. Robert was appointed to the Georgia Board of Regents in 1937. He was a member during the

Cocking affair The Cocking affair was an attempt in 1941 by Georgia governor Eugene Talmadge to exert direct control over the state's educational system, particularly through the firing of Professor Walter Cocking because of his support for racial integration, ...

and voted with the governor to remove

Walter Cocking Walter D. Cocking (1891January 14, 1964) was an academic administrator. As Dean of the College Education of the University of Georgia, he was fired in 1941, rehired, and fired again for supporting racial integration. The episode is known as the C ...

Memberships and legacy

Robert was the first-ever recipient of Georgia Tech's Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1934. He is the namesake for the "Alumni House", the building in which the Georgia Tech Alumni Association has been located since 1979. A scholarship fund was named in his honor in 1971 and designated for the

National Merit Scholarship Program The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizat ...

in 1979. He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. His daughter, Louisa Robert, was a member of the 1932 United States Olympic team.

References

External links

Finding Aid
Lawrence Wood Robert Jr. Papers at Emory University {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, L. W. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Georgia Tech alumni 1889 births 1976 deaths American football quarterbacks United States Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury

Early life and education

Career

Memberships and legacy

See also

References

External links