Latham Castle Papers (Sandwich)

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: RHC-RC-073

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Latham Castle collection primarily documents the career of Latham Castle as Attorney General for the State of Illinois, 1953-1959. Supplementary but sparse material concerns his subsequent appointment as Federal Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. An oral history interview dated February 23, 1976, spans his lifetime and career. The materials are arranged both topically and chronologically whenever possible. Box 1 contains file folders of printed material, programs, and newspaper clippings of Castle’s social, political, and judicial activities, 1957-1970. Two standard sized scrapbooks of memorabilia and newspaper clippings cover Castle’s 1952 campaign for Attorney General. Boxes 2 and 3 and three oversize scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings devoted exclusively to the Orville Hodge scandal . Eleven additional scrapbooks of newspaper clippings pertain to Castle’s other duties and career, 1953-1969. Of those, two are topically arranged, 1953-1959; two include Chicago newspapers only, 1953-1959; six incorporate Illinois newspapers, excluding Chicago, 1953-1959; one traces Castle’s career, 1956-1969. Box 4 houses the oral history tapes, and accompanying text, photographs, and speeches, 1953-1959.

Dates

created: 1952-1976
Other: Date acquired: 07/30/1979

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights in the collection are held Latham Castle; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

Latham B. Castle was born in Sandwich, Illinois on February 27, 1900, into a prominent Sandwich family. His grandfather, Miles B. Castle, founded the Sandwich State Bank (1856) , owned a lumber yard, and published a local paper, the Sandwich Argus from 1878-1913. He and his son John, Latham’s father, each served terms in the Illinois State Legislature. Latham’s After attending Sandwich schools, Latham Castle entered Northwestern University, which granted him an L.L.B. degree in 1924. He returned to Sandwich several years later to become City Attorney. In 1928 the Young Republicans urged him to run for State’s Attorney of DeKalb County, a position he held from 1928-1940. For the next two years he served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois. From 1942-1952 he was County Judge of DeKalb County. He won election in 1952 as Attorney General of Illinois and held that office until 1959, when President Eisenhower appointed him Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He served as its Chief Judge from 1968-1970, when he retired. Currently a senior member of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago, he continues working part-time. The highlight of Castle’s career occurred in 1956 when evidence indicated that a fellow Republican, the State Auditor of Illinois, Orville Hodge, had been embezzling state funds. As Attorney General at that time, Castle was the chief legal officer for the State of Illinois. Working with Governor Stratton and others, he succeeded in gaining Hodge’s resignation from the Republican ticket for the forthcoming 1956 election campaign. He also prosecuted and eventually won Hodge’s conviction, meanwhile recovering the approximately $1,571,000 involved. Castle was a key figure throughout the entire Hodge affair, which remains one of the most famous financial scandals in Illinois history. As a judge, Castle has tried important court cases. Among these was the appeal in the 1960’s to reverse the conviction of Jimmy Hoffa for siphoning off Teamster Union pension funds. The court upheld Hoffa’s conviction. Castle has been prominent in many business, civic, and legal activities and organizations throughout his career. From the 1920’s until his appointment as a Federal Judge, he served on the board of directors of Sandwich State Bank. He personally established and directed the banking policies it pursued throughout the Depression. In various years he has also been President of the DeKalb County Bar Association, and President of the National Association of Attorneys General. In 1931 Castle married Georgiana Whitcomb of Chicago. They have one son, John, who is a practicing attorney in DeKalb, Illinois.

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