Longtime racing executive Gerald Lawrence dies at 81

Gerald Lawrence, a racetrack executive who had senior leadership positions at some of the most prominent racetracks in the country, died Thursday, according to an obituary prepared by his family. He was 81.

Lawrence, a Pennsylvania native who was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party before beginning a nearly 40-year career in racing, was at points in his career the general manager of Churchill Downs in Louisville and the New York Racing Association tracks.

Lawrence got his start in racing in 1972 at Yonkers Raceway, the harness track in New York that was a major attraction in the metropolitan area during that sport’s heyday. He served as vice president and general manager at the track until 1984, when he was hired by Churchill Downs as its chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Lawrence was hired by the New York Racing Association in 1991 in the same capacity as his role at Churchill Downs, serving under president Gerald McKeon. At the time, NYRA was enmeshed in political disputes with the state, which had begun to take a heavy interest in the operation and control of the track well in advance of the expiration of its franchise in 2000. He resigned in August 1994, under pressure from NYRA’s board of directors. McKeon, president of NYRA for the previous 13 years, resigned two months later.

Lawrence then moved to Autotote, the major bet-processing company, becoming a vice president of the company and the president of one of its divisions, Autotote Gaming Group. He was then made president and chief executive officer of Autotote Enterprises in 1999 before retiring in 2001.

Lawrence is survived by his wife, Rita, and two sons, Gerald and Brennen. His family said that in retirement “he was active in his church and community,” and that he had been a director of the James A. Finnegan Foundation for 43 years at the time of his death.