Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/363

 LATHROP

LATIMER

LATHROP, Samuel, representative, was born in West Springtiekl, Muss., May 1, 1773; sou of the Rev. Joseph and Elizabeth (D\vight)Lathrop. He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1792, A.M., 1790 ; was admitted to the bar in Hampden county, and settled in practice at West Springfield, He was married, Nov. 4, 1797, to Mary, daughter of Wil- liam and Sarah (Miles) McCrackan, of New Haven, Conn. He was a representative in the IGth, 17th, 18th and 19th congresses, 1819-27 ; was a member of the Massachusetts senate for ten years, and was president of that body, 1829-30. He was also prominently named as governor of his state. He died in West Springfield, Mass., July 11, 1846.

LATIMER, Asbury Churchwell, representa- tive, was born near Lowndesville, S.C., July 31, 1851 ; .son of Clement F. and Beula (Young) Lati- mer ; grandson of James Latimer and of William Young. He was brought up on a farm and was active in reclaiming South Carolina from " carpet- bag " rule in 1876. He removed to Belton, S.C, in 1880, and engaged in farming. He was chairman of the Democratic committee of Anderson county, 1890-94 ; was an organizer and member of the Farmers' Alliance, and represented his state in its national councils. He was a Democratic rep- resentative from the third district of South Caro- lina in the 53d, 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th con- gresses, 1893-1903.

LATIMER, Charles, engineer, was born in Washington, D.C., Sept. 7, 1827. He entered the U.S. navj' in 1841 ; was graduated from the U.S. Naval academy in 1848 as acting lieutenant, and was assistant professor at the academy, 1848-54. He resigned his commission in the U.S. navy, Dec. 2, 1854, and accepted a subordinate position on the engineer corps of the Mobile and Ohio railroad. He was attached to the engineer corps of this and various other railroads until 1857, and engaged in steamboating, 1857-61. He was divi- sion engineer in the U.S. military railroad service in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, 1861-65, assistant engineer to several railroad compa- nies, 1865-86, and in 1886 became chief engineer of the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio rail- road company. He invented a system of naval signalling by lights, a method of replacing de- railed trains, and a safety guard for railroad bridges. He edited the International Standard, 1883-86, and is the author of : Road Master's As- sistant (1878); The, Divining- Rod (1876); Tlie Battle of the Standards (1880). He died in Cleve- land, Oliio, Marcli 23, 1888.

LATIMER, George, statesman, was born in Newport, Del., in 1750 ; son of James and Sarah (Geddes) Latimer. He attended the College of Philadelphia, but did not graduate. He was a soldier in the Continental army, 1775-77 ; a dele- gate to the convention that ratified the Federal

constitution in 1787 ; a representative in the state legislature, 1792-99, and speaker of the house for five years ; a presidential elector in 1792 ; collector of customs at Philadelphia, 1798-1804, and during the war of 1812 he was a member of the commit- tee of defence. He was married to Margaret Cath- cart. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., June 12, 1825. LATIMER, Henry, senator, was born in New- port, Del., April 24, 1752 ; son of James and Sarah (Geddes) Latimer. He was graduated from the College of Pennsylvania in 1770, and prej)ared for the medical profession in Pliiladelpliia,and at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and received from Edinburgli the degree of M.D. He practised at Newport, Del., until 1777, when, with Dr. James Tilton, he was appointed hospital physician and surgeon in the Continental army, and at- tached to the "Flying Hospital." He was pres- ent at all the battles of the Northern department from Brandywine to Yorktown. He resumed his medical practice in 1783 ; was a representative in the Delaware legislature for several years, and a Federalist representative in the 3d congress, serv- ing from Feb. 14, 1794, to Feb. 28, 1795, when he resigned to take his seat in the U.S. senate, hav- ing been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George Read. He served until March 3, 1801. He was married to Anne Cuth- bert, of Philadelphia, Pa., and secondh' to Nancy, daughter of Richard Richardson, of Delaware. He died in Philadelpliia, Pa., Dec. 19, 1819.

LATIMER, James Elijah, educator, was born in Hartford, Conn., Oct. 7, 1826. He was grad- uated from Wesleyan university in 1848 ; taught languages in Newbury seminary, Vt., in 1848; Latin and geology in Genesee Wesleyan semi- nary, Lima, N.Y., 1849-51 ; was principal of the New Hampshire Conference seminary. North- field, N.H., 1851-54; of Fort Plain seminary, N.Y., 1854-58, and in 1858 joined the East Gen- esee conference. He was married in 1853 to- Anna E. Ross, of Elmira, N.Y. He was teaclier of languages at Elmira Female college, 1859-60 ; was pastor of First church, Elmira, 1861-62 ;: Asbury church, Rochester, N.Y., 1863-64; First church, Rochester, 1865-67, and in 1868 went to> Europe to study methods of instruction. He was pastor at Penn Yan, N.Y., 1869-71 ; professor of historical theology, sacred and church history in Boston university, 1871-74 ; dean of the school of theology, 1873-84 ; lecturer on history, 1874-75, and professor of systematic theology, 1874-84. He received the degree D.D. from Wesleyan uni- versity in 1868. He is the author of: What of the Night ? a missionary sermon preached before the East Genesee conference at Waterloo, N. Y., Sept. 2, 1865; Mysticism (1878), and a work on systematic theology which he left incomplete. He died at Auburndale, :\Iass., Nov. 26, 1884.