Fritz G. Lanham

Frederick Garland "Fritz" Lanham (January 3, 1880 – July 31, 1965) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Texas.

Early life Born in Weatherford, Texas, Lanham was the son of Sarah Beona (née Meng) and Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham, later an eight term member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Governor of Texas. He was given the nickname "Fritz" by a neighbor. During his father's congressional career, he attended public schools in Washington, D.C., and went on to earn as B.A. from Weatherford College in 1897. He attended Vanderbilt University from 1897 to 1898, and then the University of Texas at Austin, where he was the first editor of the student newspaper, The Texan, graduating in 1900.

After serving as his father's secretary and working in a Weatherford bank, Lanham returned to UT to study law. He subsequently held jobs at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin and at The Dallas Morning News. An amateur magician, he wrote two musical comedies with his brother, as well as toured with a stage company in 1907. Although he did not earn a legal degree, Lanham was admitted to the bar in 1909, commencing practice in Weatherford. In addition, he was the first editor of The Alcalde, the UT alumni magazine, from 1913. During World War I, he spoke at Liberty bond drives, solicited subscriptions for the Red Cross, and entertained troops in camps around Fort Worth.