James Levin Latchum Explained

James Levin Latchum
Office:Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware
Term Start:December 23, 1983
Term End:January 31, 2004
Office1:Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware
Term Start1:1973
Term End1:1983
Predecessor1:Caleb Merrill Wright
Successor1:Walter King Stapleton
Office2:Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware
Term Start2:August 3, 1968
Term End2:December 23, 1983
Appointer2:Lyndon B. Johnson
Predecessor2:Caleb Rodney Layton III
Successor2:Joseph J. Longobardi
Birth Name:James Levin Latchum
Birth Date:23 December 1918
Birth Place:Milford, Delaware
Education:Princeton University (A.B.)
University of Virginia School of Law (LL.B.)

James Levin Latchum (December 23, 1918 – January 31, 2004) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

Education and career

Born in Milford, Delaware, Latchum received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Princeton University in 1940, and was a captain in the United States Army following World War II from 1940 to 1946. He received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1946. He was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve during World War II, from 1946 to 1961. He was in private practice in Wilmington, Delaware from 1946 to 1968. He was an attorney at the Delaware State Highway Department from 1949 to 1951. He was an Assistant United States Attorney of the District of Delaware from 1951 to 1953. He was an attorney at the Delaware Interstate Highway Division from 1955 to 1963. He was an attorney at the Delaware River and Bay Authority from 1963 to 1968.

Federal judicial service

Latchum was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 17, 1968, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware vacated by Judge Caleb Rodney Layton III. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, 1968, and received his commission on August 3, 1968. He served as Chief Judge from 1973 to 1983. He assumed senior status on December 23, 1983. Latchum served in that capacity until his death on January 31, 2004.

Personal

At the time of his death, Latchum had been married to Elizabeth Murray McArthur for 60 years.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Elizabeth Murray (McArthur) Latchum . 30 June 2011 . DelawareOnline: Obituaries . Legacy.com . Evanston, Illinois . https://web.archive.org/web/20121021023250/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?n=elizabeth-murray-latchum-mcarthur&pid=152286115 . October 21, 2012 . live . July 1, 2011 .