Terms Served
Listed by term start date:
- 1844 (1st term) (Greece)
- 1845 (2st term) (Greece)
- 1849 (3rd term) (Greece)
Biography
Biography
George C. Latta was born in 1795 in Walkill, Ulster County, New York, to James Latta and Sarah Jackson Latta, and was the brother of Samuel Latta. He came to the Genesee River region as a young man and quickly established himself as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the Charlotte area.
Latta exemplified the nineteenth-century “self-made man.” Over the course of his career, he was involved in mercantile trade, forwarding and shipping, manufacturing, farming, tanning, warehousing, and nursery operations. As a merchant and forwarder based in Charlotte, he eventually owned or held interests in a fleet of seven schooners operating on Lake Ontario between 1821 and 1835.
In addition to shipping and trade, Latta owned farms, asheries, warehouses, graineries, a tannery, and a grocery and dry goods business. He cultivated nursery stock—primarily fruit trees—on land near what later became the Rochester–Charlotte Plank Road. His business interests extended beyond New York State, including land holdings in Michigan and Ohio, and he was also active as a private money lender.
Latta married Frances Mann in 1839. Together they had ten children, several of whom later participated in the family business. Latta was also deeply involved in civic and religious life, serving as a trustee of the Lake United Methodist Church and supporting the development of social institutions in the growing community.
Term Highlights
Term Highlights
George C. Latta served as Town Supervisor of Greece during multiple non-consecutive terms between 1845 and 1849, a period of rapid economic and infrastructural change in the town and the Charlotte port district.
During his years in public office, Latta was a leading advocate for transportation improvements linking Charlotte to Rochester and regional markets. He was the primary stockholder in the Rochester–Charlotte Plank Road Company, completed in 1849, which provided a critical overland connection between the port and the city. His own farm supplied much of the timber used in its construction.
Latta also played a key role in advancing rail transportation to Charlotte. After earlier efforts to secure legislative approval, construction of the Rochester–Charlotte Railroad began in 1852, with the first train reaching the port in 1853. This development significantly expanded commercial and passenger traffic and strengthened Charlotte’s position as a transportation hub.
Beyond transportation, Latta made lasting contributions to education and public welfare. In 1833, he donated land on Stutson Street for a school, and in 1837 provided a site for a new brick school building. Continued growth led to expanded school facilities at Latta Road and River Street beginning in 1868. He also donated land for the Charlotte Cemetery and supported the establishment of churches and other community institutions.
The Valiant 33 of Greece and Gates During the War of 1812
Of the group historically known as the Valiant 33, the following 17 members are currently known by name:
- Isaac Stone
- Francis Brown
- Elisha Ely
- Abelard Reynolds
- Hamlet Scranton
- Jehiel Barnard
- Hervey Ely
- Jesse Hawley⁑
- Silas O. Smith
- Oliver Colby
- Samuel L. Latta‡§
- George C. Latta*§
- Thomas King†
- Bradford King†
- Zaccheus Colby‡
- Eastman Colby
- Frederick Rowe
Notes on Symbols
- * Served as a Town Supervisor of Greece.
- ⁑ Served as the first Town Supervisor of Gates.
- † Sons of Gideon King. Additional information can be found in the King's Landing section.
- ‡ Served as Town Supervisors of Northampton. These offices predate the formation of Gates (1813) and the Town of Greece.
- § Members of the Latta family. Sam and George Latta were brothers, born in Wallkill, Ulster County, New York. More information appears in Snapshot #10 and in Eight Miles Along the Shore and Pioneer Families of Greece, Volume I.
Sources
Sources
- Joan Sullivan, George Clinton Latta: Pioneer, Merchant, Entrepreneur, Greece Town Historian Archives. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
- Latta Reminiscences, archives of the Greece Town Historian.
- Rochester Historical Society Publication Series, Vols. IX and XVIII.
- Rochester Daily American, August 25, 1852, Rochester Public Library.
- Emma M. Pollard, History of Charlotte, Charlotte–Genesee Lighthouse Museum.
- Latta family files, University of Rochester, Rush Rhees Library, Rare Books Collection.