M. Larry Lawrence; Envoy Owned Hotel del Coronado

M. Larry Lawrence, ambassador to Switzerland, operator of the celebrated Hotel del Coronado, and a major Democratic fund-raiser for decades, has died Tuesday at age 69 at his official residence in Bern, Switzerland.

Although no cause of death was announced, Lawrence had fought cancer for years.

“He was one of those rare men who accomplish a great deal in their lives,” San Diego Mayor Susan Golding said. “He was a philanthropist and a tough businessman. When he believed in a cause, he couldn’t have been more generous and committed.”

Lawrence, a blunt-spoken former Chicago advertising salesman who came to California and made a fortune in land development, became a close friend and fund-raiser for Bill Clinton when he was still a longshot for the Democratic nomination for president.

Clinton nominated Lawrence for the ambassadorship and his wife, Shelia, to a post with an international trade mission. The Clinton family vacationed with the Lawrences in Coronado in 1994.

Lawrence was known equally for his friends and his feuds. He was a major backer of Eugene McCarthy in his upstart challenge to President Lyndon B. Johnson and was an insider with Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Sr. and a host of other powerful Democrats.

But Lawrence feuded with the Coronado City Council over the smallest of building permits needed for his hotel. He regularly felt maligned by the local press and thought nothing of insulting politicians who fell into his disfavor.

“He caused a lot of needless ruptures with people and institutions,” said former Rep. Lionel Van Deerlin, who enjoyed Lawrence’s support during his nine terms in Congress representing part of San Diego County.

Lawrence contributed to numerous civic causes, particularly in the arts and health care, and was a major donor to a Jewish community center in La Jolla that was named in his honor.

Lawrence left Chicago as a teenager to join the merchant marine and went to the University of Arizona on a football and track scholarship. He moved to San Diego in 1953 and a decade later became the operator of the seaside Hotel del Coronado.

At his hotel, he entertained presidents, world leaders and the rich and famous from many walks of life.

“He was a mighty tree against the San Diego landscape,” Van Deerlin said.