John Latta (March 2, 1836 – February 15, 1913) was an American lawyer and politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as the first

lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor of Pennsylvania, governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutena ...

from 1875 to 1879. He also served as a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1872 to 1873 and the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...

from 1863 to 1866.

Early life

Latta was born in

Unity Township, Pennsylvania Unity Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 21,724 at the 2020 census, a decline of approximately 4% compared to the 2010 census. The township is home to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. ...

, to Moses and Eliza (Graham) Latta. He was educated at

Sewickley Academy Sewickley Academy is a private, independent, coeducation, college-preparatory academy located in Sewickley, Pennsylvania in the United States. The Academy educates 594 students, from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It is a member of the Nation ...

and Elder's Ridge Academy. He read law under D.H. Hazen in Pittsburgh, entered

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

in 1857 and graduated in 1859. He was admitted to the Westmoreland County bar in 1859 and opened a law firm in

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,976 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a part of the Greater Pittsbu ...

. In 1865, he married Emma Hope and together they had 4 children. He was a member of Christ's Church in Greensburg.

Career

He served as a member of the

for the 22nd district 1863 to 1864 and for the 23rd district from 1865 to 1866. He served as a member of the

from 1872 to 1873. Under the new

Pennsylvania Constitution The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All acts of the General Assembly, the governor, and each governmental agency are subordinate to it. Since 1776, Pennsylvania's Constitution has undergone ...

that went into effect on 1 January 1874, he was the first elected lieutenant governor and served under Republican Governor

John Hartranft John Frederick Hartranft (December 16, 1830 – October 17, 1889) was an American politician and military officer who read the death warrant to the individuals who were executed on July 7, 1865, for conspiring to assassinate American President Ab ...

. He died on February 15, 1913, in

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Latta, John 1836 births 1913 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Lieutenant governors of Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Greensburg, Pennsylvania Politicians from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Sewickley Academy alumni Yale Law School alumni 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly