Charles Latham (26 December 1888 – 31 March 1970), known as Baron Latham from 1942, was a Labour Party politician who was leader of the London County Council.
Born in Norwich, he was railway clerk and was active in trade union activities. He moved to London and was instrumental in forming the London Labour Party.
He unsuccessfully contested the 1922 and 1923 general elections as Labour candidate at Hendon in Middlesex. In 1928 he became an alderman on the London County Council. At the end of his six-year term of office in 1934 he was elected to represent Hackney South on the county council. He was appointed to the London Passenger Transport Board in 1935.
War broke out in 1939, and in the following year the leader of the London County Council, Herbert Morrison, was appointed to the cabinet. Latham was selected to succeed him as leader of the county council. In January 1942 he was created Baron Latham, of Hendon in the County of Middlesex. In December 1945 he returned to the aldermanic bench of the county council, and in November 1947 resigned from both the leadership and membership of the LCC.
In the meantime he had been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex on 8 September 1945, holding the office until 1 May 1956.
On 1 November 1947 he replaced Lord Ashfield as chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board. This was only a temporary appointment, as the LPTB was due to be abolished at the end of the year, to be replaced by the London Transport Executive on 1 January 1948. It was announced that Latham was to be chairman of the LTE, a post he held until 1953.
He was appointed to the Metropolitan Water Board in 1956 to represent the London County Council.
For the Australian politician see [1]
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