Lawrence Waldemar Tonner
| Lawrence Waldemar Tonner | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Lauritz Waldemar Tonner October 15, 1861 Thisted, Denmark |
| Died | May 25, 1947 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California |
| Burial place | Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California |
| Occupation | Manager, translator |
Lawrence Waldemar Tonner (October 15, 1861 – May 25, 1947) was an 1870 immigrant from Denmark who became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1875. Tonner met Jesse Shepard/Francis Grierson in 1885 and became his companion and personal secretary for more than 40 years, while they traveled and lived together in Europe and the United States. Tonner began his career as a translator in 1892 for the U.S. government in London, and was an aide and translator for Herbert Hoover after World War I. Tonner died in Los Angeles, California.
Tonner was born in Thisted, Denmark, with one source including that he was "born into Danish nobility". Originally using his Danish given name, Lauritz, he emigrated to the United States in July 1870, sailing from Glasgow. His mother's maiden name was "Lund", according to a California Death Index entry. At age 28, Tonner's description on a U.S. passport application included a height of 5 feet 7 inches, light blue eyes, and light brown hair. The application identifies his father as Johann P. Tonner, through whose naturalization on December 14, 1875, Tonner obtained his own U.S. citizenship, while living in Chicago.
Tonner, who spoke fluently in five languages, did not have a steady job and instead adapted his professional career to the work and travel schedule of Jesse Shepard (1848–1927), a composer, pianist, and writer who used the pen name of Francis Grierson beginning in 1899; Tonner and Shepard met in Chicago in 1885. Tonner acted as a manager and personal secretary for Shepard. Tonner's 1890 U.S. passport application lists an occupation of "seceretary", and includes a certification of identity by Shepard.
Among his many performances, Shepard entertained at the Imperial Palace of Gatchina for the Czar of Russia and before a reunion of three royal houses at Cumberland Palace in Gmunden, Austria. His hostess was the Duchess of Cumberland, sister of the Empress of Russia, of the Princess of Wales and of the Queen of Greece. An account of what happened at the reunion is given by Tonner for "The Hague", in Light, March 17, 1894.
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