George W. Lehr

Who was George W. Lehr?

George W. Lehr was an American Democratic politician from Missouri who served as the state's auditor from 1974 to 1977.

He was born in Kirksville, Missouri in 1937. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in accounting, he was appointed auditor of Jackson County, Missouri in 1963. He was elected county executive from 1971 to 1974. During his watch the County built the Truman Sports Complex. In 1974, Lehr was elected Missouri auditor by a margin of 73,000, defeating John Ashcroft. He became the first certified public accountant to serve as State Auditor, but he surprisingly resigned as Auditor and left politics in 1977 to spend more time with his family and terminally ill son, George Lehr who had muscular dystrophy.

Lehr is credited with helping to clean up the scandal-plagued Teamsters Union Central States pension fund. He had also been the president of the Empire Bank and Trust Company in Kansas City and later was chairman and chief executive officer of Traders Bank.

At the time of his death he had had inoperable brain tumours for more than a year.