Leonard Sprague
(1893-1919)
Leonard Sprague
Location of Plaque 2015
Leonard Ford Sprague's gravestone,
Lake View Cemetery,
Cleveland, OH
The Oriental Hotel
Dallas, TX
208 S. Akard St.; now Whitacre Tower
Missouri real estate developer Thomas Field purchased the plot of land in 1887; six years later, he opened the $500,000 Oriental Hotel. Finished with Italian marble, outfitted with mahogany, and topped with a Moorish dome, the modern structure was completely electric. It was torn down in 1924, and the Baker Hotel took its place.
Leonard Ford Sprague
Birth: 11/1/1893; Cleveland, OH
Address: 2026 E. 69th St., Cleveland, OH
Demographics: draft registration card not found; marital status not known; Caucasian; natural born citizen; occupation Clerk
Draft Date/Enlistment Date/Rank: draft and enlistment dates not clear; may have been Private First Class
Service Number: 994185
Deployment: not known
Action: ERC Cleveland, OH Jan 19/1918; Sch of Mil Aeronautics OSU Columbus, OH to Sept 10/1918; Avia Concentration Camp Dp Dick Tex to Oct 24/18; Flying Sch Souther Fld Ga to disch. Pvt 1cl Jan 19/18. Hon disch Dec 5/18. Called to active duty June 6/18. Prior serv: ERC Sept 11/17. Reported for active duty Nov 24/17. Hon disch Dec 1/17. Physical disability.
Death: Death by Suicide; February 12, 1919 at "about 1:30 pm" at age 25 at the Oriental Hotel, Dallas, TX; 1919 Texas Death Certificate listed cause of death as "Gun shot wound - suicidal" and occupation as "Recently discharged from aviation." The Oriental Hotel was built in 1893 (demolished in 1924) at 208 S. Akard St., Dallas, TX and was considered lavish and modern for its time with its Moorish dome, Italian marble and mahogany finishes, and full electricity
Burial: Funeral Wade Memorial 2/18/1919 at "3:30 pm, burial private, kindly omit flowers;" Lake View Cemetery, 12316 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, Section 1, Lot 134, SubLot A, Space 5; at time of death address listed as 1884 E. 84th St., Cleveland, OH
Next of Kin: not known
Additional Information: first name listed as "Ford" in 1910 Census and 1917 Cleveland City Directory; father William Francis Sprague (1861-1926), President Sprague & Monroe Coffee Company, 928 Broadway, Cleveland, OH; mother Harriet Fenn Ford Sprague (1863-1950); brother George William Sprague (1890-1969), 1st Lieutenant Chemical Warfare WW I; sister Virginia Sprague Southworth (1891-1950); sister Helen Sprague Sherwin (1896-1972); brother Charles Hamilton Sprague (1898-1972); parents' families on both sides were early settlers of Ohio and Cleveland; parents and 4 siblings buried alongside him at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH