Lawrence Moore Cosgrave

Tokyo Bay -- Surrender of Japanese aboard USS Missouri. Col. Lawrence Moore Cosgrave, representing Canada, signs the instrument of surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
Born	August 28, 1890 Toronto, Ontario
Died	July 28, 1971(1971-07-28) (aged 80) Knowlton, Quebec, Eastern Townships
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Canadian Forces
Rank	Colonel
Awards	Distinguished Service Order & Bar Croix de Guerre (France)
Other work	Diplomat

Colonel Lawrence Vincent Moore Cosgrave DSO & Bar (August 28, 1890 – July 28, 1971) was a Canadian soldier and diplomat. He was the Canadian signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender at the end of World War II.

Cosgrave was born in Toronto, Ontario, on August 28, 1890. Cosgrave was the son of Lawrence J., founder of Cosgrave & Sons Brewery Company, and brother of James, a partner with E. P. Taylor in horse racing's Cosgrave Stables. Lawrence was a 1912 graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, student # 851 and subsequently attended McGill University.

In World War I he served as a junior artillery officer in the Canadian Field Artillery in France. Cosgrave was awarded the Distinguished Service Order first in 1916 and again in 1918; later Cosgrave was presented with the French Croix de Guerre.

He served as the Assistant Canadian Government Trade Commissioner in London, England (1922–24); Canadian Trade Commissioner, Wembley, London, England (1924); Shanghai, China (1925–1935); Melbourne, Australia (1925–1937); and Sydney, Australia (1937–1942).

In World War II he was the Canadian Military Attache to Australia, S.W.P.A. but his most notable moment came on September 2, 1945 when he was the Canadian representative who signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

He caused a little-known mishap; Colonel Cosgrave inadvertently placed his signature one line too low on the Japanese copy of the documents. He signed on the line for the French Republic. This was attributed to his being blind in one eye, having lost sight in this damaged eye in the First World War. This set off an unfortunate chain whereby each succeeding signer also signed one line too low on that copy of the documents.