Francis William Latham, rancher and legislator, was born in Groton, Connecticut, in 1818. He came to Texas during the Mexican War and served in the military. In 1848 Latham settled near Brownsville and began to farm and ranch.
Latham, a Democrat, was first elected as a representative from Cameron County in 1855 and served in the House of the Sixth and Seventh legislatures. In 1858 President James Buchanan nominated him to serve as the customs collector for Brazos de Santiago. In addition, Latham served as a county clerk. He was a member of the Secession Convention and voted to secede from the United States on February 1, 1861. After the war Latham served in the House of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth legislatures, and was the chairman of the Committee on Claims and Accounts during the Nineteenth and Twentieth.
Latham was married to Mary Anna Sprague of Providence, Rhode Island. He remained politically active throughout his life. He was a Mason.
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Lewis E. Daniell, Personnel of the Texas State Government, with Sketches of Representative Men of Texas (Austin: City Printing, 1887; 3d ed., San Antonio: Maverick, 1892). Legislative Reference Library of Texas: Francis Latham (http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=3978&searchparams=chamber=~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=latham~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=), accessed August 27, 2014. "Ordinance of Secession of Texas" (http://www.csawardept.com), accessed August 21, 2006.
Categories:
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Sixth Legislature (1855-1856)
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Seventh Legislature (1857-1858)
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House
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Eighteenth Legislature (1883-1884)
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Nineteenth Legislature (1885)
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Twentieth Legislature (1887-1888)
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Stephanie P. Niemeyer,
“Latham, Francis W.,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed June 29, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/latham-francis-w.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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August 12, 2008
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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August 27, 2014
