Mitchell Payne Lawrence Jr.

11/30/1927 - 11/02/2025

Mitchell P. Lawrence, Jr., a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) executive and later independent contract investigator, died on 2 November 2025 at age 97 in Leesburg, VA. His career spanned over 60 years in the fields of security, counterintelligence, and investigations.
Born on 30 November 1927 in Clifton Forge, VA, to Mitch Lawrence Sr and Lyda Lawrence, "MP" joined the US Marine Corps at 17 as World War II ended and later graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the Korean War before becoming an officer in the US Air Force. He began his CIA career in 1955, serving until 1986, including as Chief of the Counterintelligence Group and in various executive roles in security and personnel investigations. He was involved in the CIA's personnel security division and contributed to operations at domestic and international facilities.
His assignments with the CIA included locations in Florida, Southeast Asia, California, and Massachusetts, where he led sensitive and national security matters. He concurrently served in the USAF Reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1975.
Upon his CIA retirement, MP worked as a contract investigator with organizations such as the U.S. State Department, MSM Security Services, and OMNISEC International.
In addition to his professional work, he was an elder in several churches, was active in Rotary and other civic groups, and was a member of CIRA and SIGNA. He is survived by two children, Mary Beth Hill and Mitchell P. Lawrence, III, seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and was predeceased by his wife, Edie Lawrence, in 2023. He so loved his golden retrievers during his retirement years.
Services will be held on 13 Nov at the VMI Chapel and Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington, VA. A celebration of life ceremony will be announced later. Donations in his name can be made to Rotary International or the SIGNA Scholarship Fund (signascholarship.org), which supports college scholarships for CIA Security members' descendants.