Robert Thomas Lathrop was born on 17 November 1917, in Peru, Illinois, the fourth child of Leroy and Clara (Janz) Lathrop. He grew up alongside his older siblings Leroy B., Marie, and Harold J., and was later joined by a younger sister, Agnes, born in 1920. The family also mourned the loss of twin brothers who died in infancy.
In 1920, the Lathrop household was a crowded and lively one. The family lived with Robert’s paternal grandparents, Edward and Katheryn Lathrop, along with several aunts and uncles at 2425 Market Street in Peru—fourteen people sharing one home. Robert’s father worked in the local coal mine, while his grandfather Edward, then 55, was retired. Three of Robert’s uncles were also working at the time: one at the zinc factory and two at Westclox.
Robert came of age in Peru, attending St. Mary’s parochial school. As a young teenager, he took on part-time work at the former Dusty’s Tavern and at Charlie’s grocery, contributing where he could.
By 1930, the family had established their own household, with Leroy and Clara having purchased a home at 1816 State Street in Peru. Three more children had joined the family—Warren, Dorothy, and William—though times were difficult. Leroy Sr. was unemployed, and the older children, Leroy Jr. and Marie, had taken on work to help support the household.
By 1940, Robert, then in his early twenties, was living with his aunt and uncle, Erwin and Margaret Baker, at 1328 Center Street in Peru, where Erwin worked as a taxi driver. Robert himself had found work with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) under Emmet Ruppert in Peru.
On 19 October 1940, Robert registered for the draft. The registration described a young man of modest build—5 feet 3½ inches tall, weighing 125 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.
He did not wait to be called. On 24 April 1941, Robert enlisted in the United States Army in Chicago, Illinois, becoming the area’s 69th volunteer. He was assigned service number 36029533 and sent first to Camp Grant, then on to Camp Forrest in Tennessee, where he joined Company I of the 131st Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Infantry Division. That summer, he made his way back home to Peru to visit his mother and relatives over the July 4th holiday—a final visit, though no one knew it at the time.
On the night of 28 September 1941, Robert Thomas Lathrop was killed in a motor accident near Spring Ridge, Louisiana. He had been on watch at a bridge during Army night maneuvers when he was struck and killed by a half-track—a vehicle with tractor treads—that was operating without lights in the darkness. He was 21 years old.
Robert Lathrop was the first from the Peru area to die in connection with World War II.
His body was returned home by train, accompanied by Donald Rieck, a fellow soldier from Peru who had served in the same unit. Robert was laid to rest at Saint Vincent Cemetery in LaSalle, Illinois, in Block 91, Lot 9, Grave 2—near his aunt and uncle, Erwin and Marguerite Baker, the family with whom he had spent some of his last years at home.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project www.storiesbehindthestars.org This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by.”
- SBTSProject/Illinois/LaSalle
- SBTS Historian: Pam Broviak
Sources:
- 1920 U.S. Census, Edward Lathrop, Ancestry.
- 1930 U.S. Census, LeRoy Lathrop, Ancestry.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Erwin Baker, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Robert Thomas Lathrop, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,” Robert T Lathrop, Ancestry.
- Record Group 407: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, Series: World War II Operation Reports, 33rd Infantry Division: 1-002 (1 of 2), image 618 of 1000, NARA.
- “Robert Lathrop Killed while on Maneuver,” DePue Leader, 3 October 1941, p. 1, NewspaperArchive.
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176618293/marguerite_g-baker
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140374030/robert-thomas-lathrop
