John H. B. Latrobe correspondence

John Hazlehurst Boneval Latrobe was born in Philadelphia on May 4, 1803 to Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764-1820) and Mary Elizabeth Hazlehurst (1771-1841). The eldest surviving child of his father's second marriage, he had two elder half-siblings: Lydia Sellon Boneval Latrobe (1791-1878) and Henry Sellon Boneval Latrobe (1792-1817). His younger siblings included Juliana Elizabeth Boneval Latrobe (1804-1890) and Benjamin Henry Latrobe Jr. (1806-1878). His father was a notable architect, famous for his designs of the US Capitol, Baltimore Basilica, and White House porticos. As such, John spent his early years relocating to cities where his father held contracts, such as Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. In 1818, he entered the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he studied engineering. Latrobe left West Point in the middle of his final year, departing in December 1821 to provide support for his family after his father's death. He became a student of law in the office of Robert Goodloe Harper, and was admitted to the bar in 1824.

After passing the Bar in Maryland, John worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company (B&O) for many years. He also designed, patented, and produced a popular stove design, which became known as the "Latrobe Stove." John was involved in numerous organizations. In 1844, he became one of the founders of the Maryland Historical Society and later served as the organization's president (1871-1891). John was a major advocate for establishing a colony of former African American slaves in Liberia. He served as president of the Maryland State Colonization Society from 1832-1853, and as president of the American Colonization Society from 1853-1891. John also helped found the American Bar Association, Druid Hill Park, and was one of the judges who helped launch the career of poet and writer Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849). He married twice. First to Margaret Caile Steuart Latrobe (1795-1831), who bore one son, Henry Boneval Latrobe (1830-1877), before her premature death. John later married Charlotte Virginia Claiborne Latrobe (1815-1903) and they had seven children, including Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe (1833-1911), a popular seven-term Mayor of Baltimore.