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Lorenzo Latham

Lorenzo Latham
Born
Lorenzo L. Latham

February 10, 1812
Massachusetts, US
DiedDecember 27, 1860(1860-12-27) (aged 48)
Jefferson, Louisiana, US
Burial placeNatchez City Cemetery, Natchez, Mississippi
EducationHamilton College
Occupation(s)Newspaper editor and publisher
Known forFounding Alpha Delta Phi

Lorenzo L. Latham (February 10, 1812 – December 27, 1860) was an American newspaper editor and publisher. He was a founder of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.

Early life

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Latham was born in Massachusetts on February 10, 1812.[1]

He attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.[2] During his senior year, he became a founding member of the literary fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi, along with Samuel Eells, John Curtiss Underwood, Oliver Andrew Morse, and Henry Lemuel Storrs.[3] Eells and Latham were in charge of drafting the fraternity's constitution and designing its badge.[3]

Latham graduated from Hamilton College in 1832, as his class salutatorian.[2]

Career

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Latham became a teacher in Natchez, Mississippi.[4] He was an editor of The Creole in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] As an editor, he advocated on behalf of the American Party of South Carolina.[1]

In March 1851, Lathem and Henry E. Johnson started the Louisiana State Republican in Lafayette, Jefferson Parish.[5][6] Lathem and Johnson co-edited and co-published the newspaper.[6] Its political slant was toward the Whig Party.[5]

In October 1851, Latham was an applicant for the position of superintendent of the New Orleans Schools.[7] He was an associate editor of the Picayune in New Orleans from 1853 to 1860.[4]

Personal life

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Latham married Mary Barfield of Natchez, Mississippi on May 11, 1841.[8] They had two children, H. J. Latham and James Lathem.[9]

On December 27, 1860, Latham died from pneumonia at his home in Jefferson, Louisiana at the age of 48.[4][10][1] He was buried in the Natchez City Cemetery in Natchez.

Legacy

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Alpha Delta Phi expanded into an international social and literary fraternity with more than 53,000 members.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Correspondence of the Courier". The Charleston Daily Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. 1861-01-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b The Alpha Delta Phi, 1832-1882. Boston: Alpha Delta Phi. 1882. pp. 5 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b The Alpha Delta Phi, 1832-1882. Boston: Alpha Delta Phi. 1882. pp. 3–4 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c The Alpha Delta Phi 1832-1882, Boston: Alpha Delta Phi. 1882. p. 7. via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b "Louisiana State Republican". Baton-Rouge Gazette. 1850-05-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "Louisiana Republican". Natchez Daily Courier. Natchez, Mississippi. 1850-03-29. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Meeting of the School Board". New Orleans Weekly Delta. 1851-10-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Married". The Weekly Mississippian. Jackson, Mississippi. 1841-05-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Lafayette Ward 4, Jefferson, Louisiana; Roll: 232; Page: 194b. via Ancestry.com
  10. ^ "Death of Lorenzo L. Latham (Daily Picayune, December 28, 1860)". Imgur. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  11. ^ "Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity". Alpha Delta Phi. Retrieved 2024-03-07.