Contra Costa County Biography

HON. R. H. LATIMER

Transcribed by Sally Kaleta, December, 2006.

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
Among the prominent and representative men of Contra Costa County, none stands 
higher nor possesses a wider circle of friends than the Honorable R. H. Latimer, 
superior judge of Contra Costa County, a self-made man who, by his natural 
leadership, initiative and unswerving principles of honor, has risen from humble 
station through the several positions he has held from drug clerk to the office 
of superior judge of his adopted county. Judge Latimer is broad - and 
liberal-minded, absolutely fair and impartial in his judicial actions, and ever 
ready to mete out justice to the poor and needy. His record on the bench is one 
that any man might well feel proud to possess. His rulings have never been 
reversed. Judge Latimer was born near Miami, Missouri, January 28, 1854. He is 
the son of Randolph Latimer, a pioneer farmer and surveyor, and a native of 
Virginia, born in 1800, and died August, 1861. He was a self-made man, beloved 
by all who knew him. He removed to Missouri, took up farming, and was numbered 
among the prominent men of that State. He served two terms in the State 
legislature of Kentucky, and the year of his death was nominated in Missouri to 
run on the legislative ticket, but owing to ill health he was obliged to 
decline. Judge Latimer's mother, Nancy Latimer, was a native of Virginia and 
reared in Kentucky. The parents of Judge Latimer were married in Kentucky, and 
had fourteen children, only two of whom are now living, the subject of this 
review and a brother, Robert K., a prosperous real-estate man residing in 
Seattle, Washington. The parents of Judge Latimer have traced their ancestry 
back for many generations in England. His great-great-grandfather came from 
England and located in Maryland about the time Lord Baltimore died. On Mr. 
Latimer's mother's side the family tree can be traced back to Revolutionary 
times. Judge Latimer was educated in the private and public schools of Missouri, 
graduating from the Mt. Pleasant College, of Huntsville, in the class of 1877. 
Two years later he came to California, locating in Concord, in this county. He 
afterward removed to Walnut Creek, where he was employed in a drug-store. It was 
about this time that he decided to adopt law as a profession. He began reading 
law while working in the drug-store, and was admitted to the bar in August, 
1884. He later opened an office in Walnut Creek, where he practiced his 
profession for two years, after which he removed to the county seat. In the 
larger place his legal talent soon won recognition, and he became prominent in 
many big actions, gaining a prestige that endeared him to the hearts of all with 
whom he came in contact. Judge Latimer soon rose in his chosen profession and 
became one of the leading attorneys in California. In 1908 he was urged by his 
friends to become a candidate for superior judge of Contra Costa County. He was 
elected by a flattering majority, and has been repeatedly honored by being 
returned to the bench. For thirty years he has been a factor in the profession, 
and his advice and council is often sought by other lawyers and jurists. During 
his service on the bench, Judge Latimer has been called to preside over the 
courts of other counties, and has decided many notable and celebrated cases. As 
a leading man of affairs, a trained lawyer, and a judge of the superior court, 
he has established a name that the people of Contra Costa County and of 
California are proud of. He has a brilliant past and a future that is most 
inviting. In 1889, he was united in marriage to Miss Madora Garner, of Los 
Gatos, California. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic lodge of Martinez, 
and has filled all the chairs in his lodge, except that of master. He is an 
active member of the I. O. O. F. of Martinez, and has held every office in that 
order. Judge Latimer served two years as justice of the peace in Concord, and 
was district attorney for three years. He also held office in the
 California State Iroquois Club. His wife is a member of the Eastern Star and 
Women's Improvement Club of Martinez, and takes an active part in all club and 
social events, and is a lady of education and refinement.
 
Source: "The History of Contra Costa County, California", Elms Publ. Co., 1917, 
pp. 487-488.