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Rev. Morgan London Latta
File:Latta photo.png
The "Professor"
BornApril, 1853
Fishdam, North Carolina
DiedApril 13, 1937
Salem, Massachusetts
Resting placeEden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)"Educator", Conman
Spouse(s)Eliza Evans (1885-1886)
Laura Bivans (1886-1937)
Children10

Rev. Morgan London Latta L.L.D. (April 1853 – 13 April 1937) was an African American educator who was found guilty of operating a fraudulent university as part of a scheme to solicit and misappropriate funds. He founded the fictitious "Latta University" in Raleigh, North Carolina, exploiting the goodwill of Northern donors during the post-Reconstruction era.

M.L. Latta is often mistakenly celebrated as a pioneer in black education due to his deceptive autobiography, which he crafted to bolster his fraudulent activities. Despite being exposed by his contemporaries, denounced by the black community, and scorned by scholars, Latta's legacy continues to be controversially commemorated in Raleigh.

Biography

Early life

According to his largely discredited autobiography (See: Fraudulent Autobiography and Fundraising), Reverend Morgan London Latta was born into slavery in April 1853, at Fishdam, a Cameron/Mordecai plantation where the current Falls Lake Reservoir is located. After being emancipated at the age of nine, he reportedly supported himself and 13 family members by running their sharecropping business during the day and studying at night.

At the age of 15, Latta allegedly enrolled at Shaw University. He claimed to have studied to become an educator, received a classical education, and earned his teaching certificate. He purportedly taught for many years near his home, while starting his family and becoming a Reverend. In addition to occasionally working as a teacher, Morgan Latta held various jobs including selling sewing machines and canvassing for the proposed Lynchburg and Durham Railroad. These experiences preceded his ambitious plan to establish Latta University.

His autobiography's account of his early life is somewhat corroborated by the historical record, as records show he left his wife for a student named Laura Bivans, whom he married before purchasing land near Oberlin Village and incorporating Latta University[1][2].

Marriage and children

Rev. M. L. Latta married Laura Bivens in 1886. Records indicate that they lived together in Oberlin Village from 1889 through 1929. They had ten children, Marie Latta, Morgan L. Latta Jr., James L. Latta, Laura Latta, Moses Latta, Jessie Latta, Nellie Latta, Zacharia Latta, Clementine Latta, and Ediith Latta.[3][4][5]

Disappearance and Death

File:Latta Obit.jpg
Latta’s Obituary

In the late 1920s Rev. Latta sold and foreclosed on his land in West Raleigh[6]. It was not known where he went, when or where he died, the circumstances of his death or where he was interred.

His disappearance and death remained a mystery for 87 years, until a volunteer researcher found his obituary in a Pennsylvania Newspaper[7]. Rev. Morgan London Latta died on the 13th of April, 1937 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was interred on April 17th at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania in Lehman 113, plot 28.[8] Notably, his obituary does not mention Latta University or identify him as an educator.

Controversial Views and Opinions

Beliefs on Black Inferiority

Rev. M.L. Latta's political views were a source of significant controversy and criticism, particularly from prominent black leaders[9]. In her book The Urban Negro of the South, Dr. Wilmoth Carter highlights that Latta's acceptance by whites and rejection by blacks were due to his corrosive views [10]. Latta publicly expressed that blacks were generally ignorant and lacked ambition, stating "Our race is ignorant, as a rule, with few exceptions. The colored people, as a race, don’t seem to have much ambition about them."[11]

"The white man of the South is the best friend the negro has, if he behaves himself, and does not try to rule the country, because as I say [blacks] are not competent."

— M.L. Latta, "Cannot Govern Themselves". The News and Observer. January 25, 1900. p. 5.

Latta believed that blacks were uncivilized and inferior, advocating that they should be submissive and deferential to whites, whom he regarded as 'more capable men.' He often described blacks as a ‘weak’ or ‘inferior’ race[12] and held abhorrent views on lynching[13].

Opposition to Black Political Engagement

Latta opposed black political participation, he frequently preached that "The colored people should take no part in politics and leave it to more capable men"[14]. He regularly used his community, that of Oberlin Village, as an example of why he believed "blacks cannot govern themselves."[15] He frequently attributed the resistance he faced from black communities to "ignorance, prejudice, and jealousy."[16]

Latta University

Founding of Latta University

Rev. M.L. Latta founded Latta University in Oberlin Village, an antebellum enclave established by free blacks in West Raleigh. Historical records and public accounts reveal that the primary goal of the university was to enrich Latta and his family. They traveled across the North, soliciting funds for his fictitious university, employing a strategy similar to that of Booker T. Washington, appealing to white benefactors.

Latta University received its official incorporation on February 15, 1894[17], following the acquisition of land in Oberlin Village and fundraising efforts to finance its construction, a process spanning three years.

Oberlin Families speak out against Rev. Latta, 1891

Community Backlash and Skepticism

His neighbors in the Oberlin community were very outspoken when it came to denouncing Latta and his schemes. First hand accounts frequently appear in the public record labeling Latta’s university as a scam.[18]

“…[Oberlin residents] revealed the fact that Latta University exists in the Imagination of the “professor” and on the paper on which he writes his appeals for aid.”

Three years before the university's official founding, prominent Oberlin families published a signed public letter on the front page of Raleigh’s largest black newspaper, denouncing Latta and disassociating themselves from him[19]. This letter highlighted the community's early efforts to expose Latta's exploitation of their name for credibility.

Wake County’s official history, authored by Elizabeth Reid Murray, characterizes Latta as “a real crook.”[20] and shares interviews with Oberlin residents conducted by Shaw University Professor Wilmoth Carter:

“He started the place at a time when people were really giving to Negro education, so he raised a lot of money but it didn’t go into any school. Nobody cared enough about what he was doing to stop him; they just ignored him and his efforts.”

The full quote from Dr. Carter’s interview, which is available in her book The Urban Negro in the South is particularly damning[10]:

“Latta’s University was all bogus, it wasn’t even a good primary school. . . he only had two wooden buildings and they weren’t even good barns. The three or four students he had were members of his own family. He hardly had a fifth grade education himself.”

The Oberlin community saw through his ruse, and Latta expressed disdain for the Oberlin residents, describing them as “rude, obnoxious, and indolent” or “officious and detestable.”[15] Ultimately, the residents succeeded in detaching their name from Latta's fraudulent activities, as he stopped using "Oberlin" in association with his university, referring to its location instead as “West of Raleigh.”

Investigations Pronounce University A Fraud

Phelps Stokes Investigation

In 1916, the Phelps-Stokes Fund initiated a comprehensive study of American black universities under the auspices of the US Department of Education. The study's inaugural chapter shed light on the pervasive issue of 'larceny by false pretense,' identifying Morgan Latta as the most “flagrant case” they have witnessed[21]. Despite Rev. Latta's claims that the university land was neither in his name nor for his benefit, the investigation revealed that the donated land was actually registered under his wife Laura's name.[22] This is corroborated with Wake County property records showing multiple properties in her name[23], something quite uncommon for a married woman in 19th century Raleigh.

Philadelphia Charities Bureau Investigation

In Pennsylvania, Latta’s scheme had a significant toll on black communities, particularly targeting middle and upper-class blacks in the North who were motivated to support their Southern counterparts. Latta's fraudulent activities not only misappropriated funds but also eroded trust within these communities.[24]

The fraudulent operations continued for several years before the Charities Bureau of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce was called to investigate in 1916. The Bureau conducted a thorough investigation, uncovering that Latta University was a sham. Their report highlighted that the university did not function as an educational institution and that funds raised were not used for their intended purposes.[25]

The investigation concluded with a decisive statement that Latta University was a fraud. As a result, the Bureau sought to apprehend anyone claiming to represent the institution, aiming to prevent further exploitation.[25]

By 1907, the word was spreading about the fraudulent nature of Latta's operations. Fifteen years after black communities and newspapers initially raised alarms, the broader public began to reach the same conclusion. Over the next ten years, Latta's family and associates operating their scam in the North frequently faced apprehension[24].

Co-conspirators

John Bivans and his wife played a key role in Latta's fundraising scheme by soliciting donations under false pretenses. When Bivans was arrested soliciting donations, Latta would wire the police chief, claiming that Bivans had been misappropriating funds and requesting leniency, as Bivan's was a cripple[26]. This would result in the donations being sent back to Raleigh, Bivans being released, sometimes the mayor warning him never to return. This pattern is seen repeated in local newspapers for years across towns in Massachusetts[27], Pennsylvania[28][29], New York[30], and other states.

In 1916, Bivans was convicted in New York despite Latta's plea for his release. During his trial, Bivans revealed that he was Latta's brother-in-law and acting under Latta’s direction. Regardless, Bivans was sent to the penitentiary on Blackwell’s Island.[31]

Closure of Latta University

Latta University officially closed on paper in 1922, as Latta sold off land to pay debts and sold the deed to the school.[32] The remaining land was sold in 1929, except for a small parcel that included his house. The family was last listed in Oberlin on the 1930 census, where Latta no longer described himself as a professor but as a preacher[33]. In 1933, his final parcel of land, including his home, was foreclosed and sold at auction to cover his debts.

Fraudulent Autobiography and Fundraising

Rev. M.L. Latta's autobiography, History of My Life and Work, published in 1903, is a key reason he remains a notable figure today. The publication of his book significantly enhanced Latta's fundraising efforts by lending an aura of credibility to his scheme.

In his book, African Americans in the Post-Emancipation South, Morehouse College history professor and former editor of the Journal of Negro History, Alton Hornsby Jr.[a], specifically highlighted Latta as an example of fraudulent black universities, detailing how Latta used his autobiography to swindle donors.[34]

Harry Morgan, in Historical Perspectives on the Education of Black Children, describes Latta as an 'outstanding example' of fraud and highlights the dubious nature of Latta’s operations at the time the book was published.[35]

“[Latta] constructed what could only be described as a shack and went on a tour of the North to solicit funds for the “university”. At a time when Latta had one teacher and a few pupils, the founder and president published a 400 page book extolling the virtues of his institution as having 400 students and an elaborate campus.”

In his autobiography, Latta exaggerated the scale and success of his university, claiming it had 23 buildings and accommodated over 1400 students[36]. He even fabricated stories of traveling to Europe and consorting with Queen Victoria[37], who he claimed pledged to grant him an entire province if he requested it.[38] The book included many photos of students, yet none showed more than 20 individuals. Additionally, Latta's own records did not support the number of students he claimed.[39]

The autobiography featured doctored photos, placing Latta in fictional environments, such as the "photo" above of him speaking "in the Auditorium at London." Latta often asserted that his university was "one of the largest schools in the South in every respect,"[36] and to support this, he took pictures of the same buildings from different angles, labeling them as different structures. For example, the "Chapel," "Young Men's Dormitory," and "Young Ladies' Dormitory" were actually the same building photographed from different angles, explaining why the Young Men's Dorm had no entrance[40].

Latta's autobiography, despite its fabrications, played a crucial role in his fundraising and decades later in establishing his legacy (See: Controversial Legacy).

Flawed Research Enabled Fraudulent Legacy

Despite the dubious nature of Latta's claims, the City of Raleigh has celebrated Reverend Latta for decades. His home received the designation of a Raleigh Historic Landmark[41] and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places[42]. This recognition was based solely on the narrative presented in his autobiography, the very tool he used to deceive donors.

In 2002, the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources submitted paperwork nominating Latta’s home for the National Register of Historic Places. The state's historical support relied almost entirely on Latta’s autobiography, citing it over 25 times in a ten-page submission, with the only other source being an "unpublished student report"[17].

When Latta’s home burned down in 2007, the city initiated a costly archaeological excavation to find any significant archaeological deposits related to Latta and his university. The investigation yielded minimal findings, such as a horseshoe and some trash, yet this was deemed sufficient to advise the city and the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission to redesignate the empty lot as a Raleigh Historic Landmark.

The 2010 Raleigh Historic Landmark designation submission essentially replicated the 2002 National Register text, which was based on Latta’s autobiography taken as fact. This ongoing recognition underscores the extent to which Latta's deceptive narrative has influenced historical records.

City Knowingly Embraces False Narrative

For years, the celebration of Morgan Latta's legacy in Raleigh has raised questions about the city's uncritical embrace of a man whose fraudulent legacy been well-documented. Despite ample evidence exposing Latta as a conman, Raleigh has invested significant resources into commemorating his fictional achievements, he's even been inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame.[43] Most recently, the City of Raleigh spent close to a million dollars on a park commemorating his dubious achievements[44]. of educational materials based on his fabricated narrative.

Efforts to caution city officials about the reliance on Latta's autobiography as the sole historical source were met with resistance, with public comments expressing concerns being removed from view to purportedly protect living descendants. Despite these warnings, Raleigh persists in perpetuating Latta's false narrative, investing taxpayer money into projects that uphold his deceitful legacy.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ During his forty-two-year tenure at Morehouse College (1968-2010), Alton Hornsby Jr. chaired the history department for thirty consecutive years (1971-2001) and held the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of History title from 1996. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1984 and won numerous awards, including the 2012 John W. Blassingame Award. Hornsby was a leading scholar in African American history, notably serving as president of the Southern Conference on African American Studies (1986-1988) and editing the Journal of Negro History (1976-2001). He also established the Lillie M. Newton Hornsby Award in 1995.

Citations

  1. ^ "Alamance County Marriage Register (1855-1961)" (Document). Alamance County. January 29, 1887. p. 215.
  2. ^ Russ, Terri (July 6, 2010). Additional Supporting Information for the Raleigh Historic Landmark Designation Application for the Reverend M. L. Latta House and Latta University Site (PDF) (Report). City of Raleigh, North Carolina.
  3. ^ North Carolina, Wake, Raleigh, District 0136, United States census, 1900; North Carolina; page 15, line 52. Retrieved on May 24, 2024.
  4. ^ North Carolina, Wake, Raleigh, District 0109, United States census, 1910; North Carolina; page 1b, line 12. Retrieved on May 24, 2024.
  5. ^ North Carolina, Wake, Raleigh, District 0124, United States census, 1920; North Carolina; page 13, line 36. Retrieved on May 24, 2024.
  6. ^ ""Deed" Latta University to Parker-Hunter Realty Company" (December 19, 1922) [Property Record]. Book 408, p. 194. Raleigh, North Carolina: Wake County Records Office.
  7. ^ "Obituary ("Died")". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 16, 1937. p. 33. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Evans, Christopher (April 17, 2024). "Historical Scam: Raleigh Falls for a Long Dead Swindler". Carolina Society for Historical Research. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "News Updates". The Wilmington Messenger. June 28, 1905. p. 3. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Carter, Wilmoth (1961). The Urban Negro in the South. Legare Street Press. p. 118. ISBN 1018175288.
  11. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. p. 20.
  12. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. pp. 20, 54, 105, 189.
  13. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. p. 45.
  14. ^ "Latta on Voting – Says Negro not Capable". The Raleigh Times. August 25, 1900. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Latta, Morgan London (January 25, 1900). "CANNOT GOVERN THEMSELVES: President Latta, a Negro Teacher Gives His Views". The News and Observer. p. 5. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Briggs, Willis G. (August 8, 1948). "Oberlin Village Emerged During Reconstruction". The News and Observer. p. 5. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Crow, Jeffrey J. (March 5, 2002). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (PDF) (Report). United States Department of the Interior National Park Service.
  18. ^ "News Updates". The Raleigh Times. January 18, 1912. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "A Card". The Evening Visitor. September 9, 1891. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Reid Murray, Elizabeth (January 1, 2008). Wake: Capital County of North Carolina: Volume II, Reconstruction to 1920. Wake County Public School System. pp. 267–268. ISBN 0963919814.
  21. ^ Jones, Thomas Jesse (1916). Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States - Volume 2. United States Office of Education. p. 1.
  22. ^ Jones, Thomas Jesse (1916). Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States - Volume 2. United States Office of Education. p. 459.
  23. ^ "Wake County Consolidated Real Property Index". Wake County Register of Deeds. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Bogus Collector Loses Good Thing". Altoona Times. September 25, 1909. p. 5. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  25. ^ a b ""UNIVERSITY" IS A MYTH: Chamber of Commerce Warns Against Latta College Solicitors". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 8, 1918. p. 22. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "LOCAL NEWS ITEMS". The Raleigh Times. December 22, 1898. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "POLICE HAVE REQUESTS TO LOCATE TWO MEN". North Adams Transcript. February 15, 1907. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  28. ^ "PRISONER IS CHARGED WITH FALSE PRETENSE". Reading Times. August 11, 1911. p. Front page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "COLLECTOR RELIEVED OF CHECKS AND BOOK". Reading Times. August 12, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  30. ^ "CLANCY GETS ANOTHER SOLICITOR SUSPECT". Mount Vernon Argus. March 11, 1916. p. Front Page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "FAKE COLLECTOR IS SENT TO PEN FOR THREE MONTHS". Mount Vernon Argus. March 13, 1916. p. Front Page. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  32. ^ ""Deed" Latta University to Parker-Hunter Realty Company" (December 19, 1922) [Property Record]. Book 408, p. 194. Raleigh, North Carolina: Wake County Records Office.
  33. ^ "North Carolina, Wake, Raleigh, District 0051", United States census, 1930; North Carolina; page 30, line 74. Retrieved on May 24, 2024.
  34. ^ Hornsby, Jr., Alton (December 22, 2010). African Americans in the Post-Emancipation South. University Press of America. ISBN 0761851054.
  35. ^ Morgan, Harry (June 30, 1995). Historical Perspectives on the Education of Black Children. Praeger. p. 80. ISBN 0275950719.
  36. ^ a b Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. p. 55.
  37. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. p. 283.
  38. ^ "Sued for Burning Six Hundred Lives". The News and Observer. April 29, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  39. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1894). Second Annual Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Latta University.
  40. ^ Latta, Morgan London (1903). The History of My Life and Work. Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton. p. 264.
  41. ^ Ovaska, Sarah (July 7, 2010). "Freedman School Plot Gets Special Status". The News and Observer. p. 13. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  42. ^ O'Naill, Patrick (January 28, 2004). "Raleigh's Latta House: A freed slave's monument to bringing people together, then and now". Indy Week. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  43. ^ "2019 Centennial Inductees, Raleigh Hall of Fame". Raleigh City Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  44. ^ Liles, Emma (March 3, 2020). LATTA UNIVERSITY HISTORIC PARK MASTER PLAN (PDF) (Report). Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources.
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