John H. B. (John Hazlehurst Boneval) Latrobe

Born in Philadelphia in 1803, he was the son of architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and built his own career after moving to Baltimore. Trained in law, he became a prominent attorney and was long associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, while also taking part in many other important cases.

His public life reached far beyond legal practice. He helped found the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts and the Maryland Historical Society, and he was active in civic and charitable work in Baltimore for decades. He is also widely noted for his role in the early history of the American Colonization Society in Maryland.

Alongside his legal and philanthropic work, he wrote stories and recollections that kept his name alive with later readers. That mix of practical public service and literary talent gives his life a distinctive texture: part lawyer, part reformer, and part man of letters.