["Men of Mark in South Carolina: Ideals of American Life: A Collection of Biographies of Leading Men of The State, Volume 1, pgs. 212-217, James Calvin Hemphill, Men of Mark Publishing Company, 1907.]

LATIMER, ASBURY CHURCHWELL, United States senator for South Carolina, was born on his father's farm, four miles south of Lowndesville, Abbeville County, South Carolina, July 31, 1851. His parents were Clement Theophilus and Frances Beulah Latimer. His father was a practical farmer, whose distinguishing characteristics were strong common sense, a positive character and intensely honest convictions. His earliest ancestor in South Carolina was his grandfather, James Latimer, who emigrated from Maryland and settled near Honea Path, Anderson county, about 1790. The family is believed to derive its descent from the famous Hugh Latimer, of England. Mr. Latimer comes from a family which has always been distinguished for honesty and uprightness of character.

Asbury Latimer was brought up in the country. In childhood and youth, he was strong and well and was fond of exercise. At a comparatively early age he was required to put in full time on whatever labor was necessary on his father's farm, and thus the lessons of industry and of prompt performance of duty were early impressed upon him. All his life he has been obliged to gain by hard labor every prize that he has attained. He attended a preparatory school at Lowndesville, South Carolina, but, on account of the War between the States, was not able to attend college.

About 1878 he removed to Belton, Anderson county, where he engaged in agriculture, which has constituted the principal business of his life. He soon became one of the most prominent planters of Western South Carolina, and his plantations are object-lessons in the proper use and cultivation of farm lands, and in the utilization of every variety of farm products. Always a man of broad public spirit, he has been closely identified with nearly all of the business enterprises of his community, especially in the lines of banking and of the manufacture of cotton.

Mr. Latimer first became interested in politics about 1890. He served as chairman of his county Democracy, and was urged to enter the race for lieutenant-governor, but declined to do so on account of the demands of his private business. In 1892 he was elected to congress, and was reelected for five consecutive terms by overwhelming majorities. His record as a representative was one of hard practical work.

A few of his special achievements may be mentioned: By hard and persistent work with individual members and with committees of congress he secured for Newberry College its just claim for damages from the Federal government. He introduced and succeeded in getting passed in the house a bill requiring corporations in the hands of receivers to pay their taxes to the state in the same manner as individuals. One result of this act was that $208,000 of past taxes due the state of South Carolina was paid into the state treasury by one railroad alone. It was largely due to his efforts that the system of free rural mail delivery was originated and incorporated with the postal system of the government. This matter was agitated by him during his first term in congress, and his district was one of the first in the country to receive the benefits of daily rural mail facilities. He labored earnestly for the agricultural interests of his district, and succeeded in very greatly broadening the scope of the experimental and practical work of the Department of Agriculture. He secured a soil survey of his state, from which charts and maps have been made illustrating the character of the soil, the waterways, and the mineral deposits-a work which has been of great benefit to the people of the state.

In 1902 he entered the race for the United States senate. He had as opponents five of the ablest debaters in the state, but after a canvass lasting three months he was nominated for the office by a majority of 18,000 votes. He was subsequently elected by the state legislature, and took the oath of office on March 4, 1903. During the time that he has been in the senate he has gained for himself a national reputation by his efforts to secure the aid of the Federal government in the improvement of the public roads. His introduction of this measure in the senate was looked upon by many of his associates and by a large part of the public press as an impracticable scheme, full of the dangers of paternalism and bankruptcy. In an able and exhaustive argument in support of the measure he succeeded in stemming the tide of opposition, and secured a favorable report from the committee having charge of the bill. His efforts in this behalf became the nucleus of a great movement throughout the country, having for its object a general betterment of the conditions of rural life, and particularly the securing of good roads. Senator Latimer has addressed large and enthusiastic audiences in nearly every state in the Union, and many of the state legislatures, on the merits of his bill for the improvement of the roads. This work, when accomplished, will be inseparably connected with his name. Among other measures now before congress, in which Senator Latimer is interested, are the bills to reduce letter postage to one cent; to apportion to the thirteen original states their proper share of public lands for public school purposes, and to drain the swamp lands of South Carolina.

On account of a disagreement between the senate and house on the enactment of an immigration bill, a provision was inserted in the bill for the appointment of a commission of nine, composed of three senators, three representatives, and three laymen, appointed by the President, for the purpose of making a thorough investigation, in the United States and abroad, of the whole subject of immigration. Senator Latimer was one of the three senators appointed on the commission and sailed for Europe on May 18, 1907, landing at Naples on June 1, following. He was appointed chairman of a sub-commission, consisting of Messrs. Burnett and Howell, members from the house, and assigned to the territory of Northern Europe, embracing Northern Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Scotland, and Ireland. After a thorough investigation of this territory, coming in contact with immigrants from almost every part of Europe at the control stations in Germany and the steamship lines from Hamburg, Bremen, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Havre, Marseilles, Glasgow, Londonderry, Cork, and Queenstown, he made quite an exhaustive report, setting forth fully the conditions of agriculture, manufactures, scale of wages paid, and the cost of living (including rents and taxes), throughout the territory traversed by his sub-committee, and he is now engaged in an investigation in the United States of the immigrants who have come to this country and their adaptability to conditions here, with a view to making a report to congress at the present session.

In politics Senator Latimer has always been a Democrat. He is a member of the Methodist Church, South.

He has given no special attention to athletics or any modern system of physical culture, but finds his chief relaxation and amusement in farm and country life. His philosophy of life may be summed up as follows: Perform promptly and well every duty that presents itself and cultivate temperate, economical and industrious habits.