Henry Latimer, former Broward Circuit Court judge and an alumnus of UM’s School of Law, died Monday night in a car accident. He was 67.
Born in Georgia, Latimer grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. As a law student at the University of Miami, he was the only black student among 200 white students when he enrolled in the graduate program in 1970. He later became a member of the school’s Board of Trustees and was nominated twice for a federal judgeship.
Latimer was the one of the first black judges in Broward County, elected to the position in 1980. In 1983 he stepped down from the position three years before his term was over to pursue private practice.
“The University of Miami and our community have suffered a tremendous loss with the tragic passing of Henry Latimer,” UM President Donna Shalala said. “Mr. Latimer overcame so many obstacles to become a teacher, lawyer and judge. He was very involved in creating our School of Law’s mentoring program for African-American students. His passion for fairness and opportunity for minority youth was legendary. The entire University mourns the loss of a great friend and community leader and we extend our condolences to his wife and children.”