Henry Latimer, one of first blacks on Broward circuit court, dies

<p>Henry Latimer, a former circuit judge and prominent member of South Florida's legal community, died in a single-car accident, authorities said. He was 67.</p><p>Latimer, a Georgia native, was killed Monday night after he tried to swerve around road debris on Interstate 595, lost control of his car and slammed into a concrete piling, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Roger Reyes said.</p><p>Latimer was one of the first black judges appointed to Broward Circuit Court after then-Florida Gov. Bob Graham nominated him to the position in 1979.</p><p>He was elected to a six-year term in 1980 but stepped down in 1983 to pursue private practice. He most recently was a trial attorney and shareholder in the law firm of Greenberg Traurig.</p><p>Latimer was born in Ocilla, Ga., and grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. Latimer's father died before he was born, and he grew up on government aid in Jacksonville's projects, spending his early years in segregated schools.</p><p>In 1968, Latimer became a U.S. Labor Department investigator, and two years later enrolled in law school at the University of Miami, the only black among 200 white students. He later sat on the school's board of trustees and was twice nominated for a federal judgeship.</p><p>Latimer's survivors include his wife and two daughters.</p>