# Morgan London Latta

Rev. Morgan London Latta L.L.D. (April 1853 – April 13, 1937) was an African American educator who operated a fraudulent scheme to solicit and misappropriate funds. He founded Latta University in Raleigh, North Carolina and used it to exploit the goodwill of Northern donors during the post-Reconstruction era. Despite the exposure for his criminal misconduct which brought an end to his school and standing, Latta's legacy continues to be commemorated in Raleigh as a pioneer in Black education.

## Early life

According to his largely discredited autobiography, Morgan London Latta was born into slavery in April 1853, at Fishdam, a Cameron/Mordecai plantation where the current Falls Lake Reservoir is located. After being emancipated at the age of nine, he reportedly supported himself and thirteen family members by running their sharecropping business during the day and studying at night.
At the age of fifteen, Latta said he enrolled at Shaw University, receiving a classical education and earning his teaching certificate. He also said that he taught for many years near his home while starting his family and becoming a reverend. In addition to occasionally working as a teacher, Morgan Latta held various jobs including selling sewing machines and canvassing for the proposed Lynchburg and Durham Railroad. In January 1887, he was arrested after forging a signature on a petition for a teaching job in the Neuse District of Raleigh.
These experiences preceded his ambitious plan to establish Latta University.

## Latta University

Latta founded Latta University in Oberlin Village, an antebellum enclave established by free Blacks in West Raleigh. Historical records and public accounts reveal that the primary goal of the university was to enrich Latta and his family.
He traveled across the North, soliciting funds for the university, employing a strategy similar to that of Booker T. Washington, appealing to white benefactors.
Latta University received its official incorporation on February 15, 1894, following the acquisition of land in Oberlin Village and fundraising efforts to finance its construction, a process spanning three years.
1909 and 1920 Annual Catalogues of Latta University students reveal that virtually all students listed as enrolled in 1909 were still recorded as students in 1920, often in the same classes or departments. For instance, Mary L. Banks was listed as a student in the Junior Class of the Normal Department in both years, a span of over a decade. Additionally, other aspects of the reports remained unchanged over the years, such as the inclusion of the same yearly letter from the president.

### Community backlash and skepticism

His neighbors in the Oberlin community were outspoken about Latta; three years before the university's official founding, they published a signed letter on the front page of Raleigh’s largest Black newspaper, disassociating themselves from his project. In the letter, they referred to him as a "so-called" professor and were the first to publicly cast doubt on his intentions and credibility.
Wake County’s official history, authored by Elizabeth Reid Murray, characterizes Latta as “a real crook.” and shares interviews with Oberlin residents conducted by Shaw University Professor Wilmoth Carter:
   “He started the place at a time when people were really giving to Negro education, so he raised a lot of money but it didn’t go into any school. Nobody cared enough about what he was doing to stop him; they just ignored him and his efforts.”
The full quote from Carter’s interview, which is available in her book The Urban Negro in the South is particularly damning
   “Latta’s University was all bogus, it wasn’t even a good primary school. . . he only had two wooden buildings and they weren’t even good barns. The three or four students he had were members of his own family. He hardly had a fifth grade education himself.”
In American Adventures: A Second Trip, journalist Julian Street visited Latta University in 1916 and described it as a "curio" consisting of "a few flimsy shacks". In her book Culture Town, Linda Simmons-Henry interviewed members of Oberlin Village to preserve an oral history of the community. During one of these interviews Tulia H. Turner, briefly mentioned that the year she got married, she visited Latta University and described it as "just a small structure, and looked like it was about a two- or three-room school." She was married in 1923, the year after Latta University closed.
The Oberlin community, being on the ground and understanding the facts, provided primary accounts that continue to expose Latta's scheme to this day. Latta expressed disdain for the Oberlin residents, describing them as “rude, obnoxious, and indolent” or “officious and detestable.” Ultimately, the residents succeeded in dissociating the community's name from Latta's fraudulent activities, he even strikes it from his book entirely, saying the university is located “in West Raleigh, NC.”

### Investigations pronounce university a fraud
#### Phelps Stokes investigation

In 1916, the Phelps-Stokes Fund initiated a comprehensive study of American Black universities under the auspices of the US Department of Education. The study's inaugural chapter shed light on the pervasive issue of "larceny by false pretense", identifying Latta University as the most “flagrant case” they have witnessed. Despite Latta's claims that the university land was neither in his name nor for his benefit, the investigation revealed that the donated land was registered under his wife Laura's name. This is corroborated with Wake County property records showing multiple properties in her name, something quite uncommon for a married woman in 19th century Raleigh.

#### Philadelphia Charities Bureau investigation

In Pennsylvania, Latta’s scheme had a significant toll on Black communities, particularly targeting middle and upper-class Blacks in the North who were motivated to support their Southern counterparts. Latta's fraudulent activities not only misappropriated funds from Northern Blacks but also eroded trust within these communities.
The fraudulent operations continued for several years before the Charities Bureau of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce was called to investigate in 1916. The Bureau conducted a thorough investigation, uncovering that Latta University was a sham. Their report highlighted that the university did not function as an educational institution and that funds raised were not used for their intended purposes. The investigation concluded with a decisive statement that Latta University was a fraud. As a result, the Bureau sought to apprehend anyone claiming to represent the institution, aiming to prevent further exploitation.

#### Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Investigation

The Raleigh Chamber of Commerce conducted its own investigation into Morgan London Latta and his university. After receiving inquiries from a Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based company that had been contributing funds to Latta University for over 20 years, the Chamber’s secretary, H.B. Branch, clarified that Latta University no longer existed and had been defunct for "many, many years."
The investigation revealed that Latta University had ceased operations long before the solicitations in question. They determined that Morgan London Latta had misrepresented the existence of the institution to secure donations, often in person. The Chamber deemed these fundraising efforts fraudulent and issued warnings to other state chambers of commerce to alert businesses and the public about the scheme. Bulletins and letters were circulated, explicitly advising against providing funds for Latta University.

### Legal actions and incarcerations

By 1907, the word was spreading about the fraudulent nature of Latta's operations. Fifteen years after Black communities and newspapers initially raised alarms, the broader public began to reach the same conclusion. Over the next ten years, Latta's family and associates operating their scam in the North frequently faced apprehension.

#### Co-conspirators

John Bivans and his wife played a key role in Latta's fundraising scheme by soliciting donations under false pretenses. When Bivans was arrested soliciting donations, Latta would wire the police chief, claiming that Bivans had been misappropriating funds and requesting leniency, as Bivans was a cripple. This would result in the donations being sent back to Raleigh, Bivans being released, sometimes the mayor warning him never to return. This pattern is seen repeated in local newspapers for years across towns in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, and other states.
In 1916, Bivans was convicted in New York despite Latta's plea for his release. During his trial, Bivans revealed that he was Latta's brother-in-law and acting under Latta’s direction. Regardless, Bivans was sent to the penitentiary on Blackwell’s Island.

### Extent of Latta's fraudulent activities

The record indicates that Latta and his university were engaged in fraudulent activities, though the extent of these scams remains uncertain. The New York Age, one of the most prominent Black newspapers of its time, published multiple articles condemning Latta University's honorary degree abuse, whereby Latta conferred honorary doctorates --for a fee. The issue became so severe that years later, North Carolina attempted to pass a law to regulate degrees awarded by universities and colleges. When the bill was narrowly defeated, the sponsor remarked that this decision "...leaves Latta University and its industrious president free to make B.A.’s, B.S.’s, LL.D.’s and D.D.’s of the newly made rich in the metropolis."

### Closure of Latta University

Latta University officially closed on paper in 1922, as Latta sold off land to pay debts and sold the deed to the school. The remaining land was sold in 1929, except for a small parcel that included his house. The family was last listed in Oberlin on the 1930 census, where Latta no longer described himself as a professor but as a preacher. In 1933, his final parcel of land, including his home, was foreclosed and sold at auction to cover his debts.

## Autobiography and fundraising

Latta's autobiography, History of My Life and Work, published in 1903, is a key reason he remains a notable figure today. The publication of his book significantly enhanced Latta's fundraising efforts by lending an aura of credibility to his scheme.
In his book, African Americans in the Post-Emancipation South, Morehouse College history professor and former editor of the Journal of Negro History, Alton Hornsby Jr., highlights Latta as an example of fraudulent Black universities, detailing how Latta used his autobiography to swindle donors.
Harry Morgan, in Historical Perspectives on the Education of Black Children, describes Latta as an "outstanding example" of fraud and highlights the dubious nature of Latta’s operations at the time the book was published.
   [Latta] constructed what could only be described as a shack and went on a tour of the North to solicit funds for the “university”. At a time when Latta had one teacher and a few pupils, the founder and president published a 400-page book extolling the virtues of his institution as having 400 students and an elaborate campus.
In his autobiography, Latta exaggerated the scale and success of his university, claiming it had 23 buildings and accommodated over 1400 students. He even fabricated stories of traveling to Europe and consorting with Queen Victoria, who he claimed pledged to grant him an entire province if he requested it. The book included many photos of students, yet none showed more than thirty individuals. Additionally, Latta's records did not support the number of students he claimed.
Julian Street referred to the autobiography as "one of the most curious volumes I have ever seen", and goes on to describe multiple photographs as "made-up", such as the illustration above of him speaking "in the Auditorium at London." During a 1908 insurance trial, Latta admitted that these speaking engagement images were taken at a Philadelphia photography studio.
Latta asserted that his university was "one of the largest schools in the South in every respect." Street notes that to support this, he took pictures of the same buildings from different angles, labeling them as different structures: "Similar artfulness is shown in pictures of the "university" buildings, where the same frame structure, photographed from opposite ends, appears in one case as, "Young Ladies' Dormitory," and in the other as, "Chapel and Young Men's Dormitory."
Latta faced multiple court appearances after his efforts to obtain payouts from insurers were unsuccessful, all due to questions surrounding his claims. He insured his buildings, and over the years, reported that his properties were destroyed by "five different fires and a cyclone". Consequently, Latta University appears on the 1914 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. However, contrary to his claims of having 23 buildings, the survey shows only two large structures and three smaller buildings. Even before the claims of fire and other damages, Latta's photographs of the school only show seventeen buildings, most of which were outbuildings.
Despite numerous primary accounts and documents revealing his autobiography to be false, it played a crucial role in his fundraising efforts and, decades later, in establishing his legacy.

## Personal life

Latta procured a license to marry Eliza Evans on February 7, 1885. It remains unclear what transpired, as a year later he married student Laura Bivens. Records indicate that they lived together in Oberlin Village from 1889 through 1929. They had ten children, Marie Latta, Morgan L. Latta Jr., James L. Latta, Laura Latta, Moses Latta, Jessie Latta, Nellie Latta, Zacharia Latta, Clementine Latta, and Ediith Latta.|
In the late 1920s, Latta sold and foreclosed on his land in West Raleigh. In Raleigh, it was not known where he went, when or where he died, the circumstances of his death or where he was interred.
However, Latta died on April 13, 1937 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was interred on April 17 at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania in Lehman 113, plot 28. His obituary does not mention Latta University or identify him as an educator.

## Controversial views

Latta's political views were a source of significant controversy and criticism, particularly from prominent Black leaders. In her book The Urban Negro of the South, Dr. Wilmoth Carter highlights that Latta's acceptance by whites and rejection by Blacks were due to his corrosive views. He largely blamed lynchings on the Black victims— claiming so much widespread "ignorance among the colored people that such extreme depredations as assaulting white ladies of the South takes place".

### Racial inferiority

   "The white man of the South is the best friend the negro has, if he behaves himself, and does not try to rule the country, because as I say [blacks] are not competent."
Latta publicly expressed that Blacks were generally ignorant and lacked ambition, stating "Our race is ignorant, as a rule, with few exceptions. The colored people, as a race, don’t seem to have much ambition about them." He often described Blacks as a "weak' race, and believed that Blacks were uncivilized and inferior, advocating that they should be submissive and deferential to whites, whom he regarded as "more capable men".
In his writings, Latta praised prominent white supremacists who supported his endeavors. This included public commendations for figures like Charles Brantley Aycock and Josephus Daniels, despite their significant roles in advancing Jim Crow segregation and disfranchisement in North Carolina. Such endorsements, given their contentious actions, ignited fury and condemnation within the Black community.

### Opposition to political engagement

Latta opposed Black political participation, he frequently preached that, "The colored people should take no part in politics and leave it to more capable men". He proclaimed that there was “nothing in politics for colored people” and urged African Americans to “get religion, educate themselves, buy property, stay out of politics, and put money in the bank."
Latta regularly used his community of Oberlin Village as an example of why he believed Blacks "are not sufficient to govern themselves." Given all of the above, he attributed the resistance he faced from Black communities to "ignorance, prejudice, and jealousy."

## Legacy
### Raleigh's commemoration

The commemoration of Latta by the City of Raleigh has sparked debate regarding the reliance on his autobiography as the primary narrative of his legacy. Historians have highlighted that his autobiography, which served as a tool in his fraudulent activities, contains numerous discrepancies and false or exaggerated claims about his achievements. Multiple contemporary investigations pronounced Latta and his university a fraud, and he, along with at least one co-conspirator, were jailed for fraud, further casting doubt on the credibility of this narrative.
In 2019, Morgan Latta was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame stating "Reverend Latta’s history and legacy continues to inspire children from all backgrounds through programming by the City of Raleigh and the Latta House Foundation." In 2014, the City of Raleigh Museum hosted the exhibit “Latta’s Living Legacy”, which displayed an original copy of his autobiography as well as some items from the archeological excavation.

#### Latta University Historic Park

In April 2024, Raleigh completed the Latta University Historic Park, an US$800,000 project featuring interpretive signage, bronze historical markers, and educational materials for schools. These materials rely on Latta's autobiography as a primary source.
The Latta House Foundation, a nonprofit organization which includes descendants of Latta on its board, has the mission of "promoting the history of Latta and his university". The Foundation's board members served on the citizen planning board for the Latta University Historic Park Master Plan and collaborated with the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department for a public program.

### Historic designations

Latta's home received the designation of a Raleigh Historic Landmark and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This recognition has relied in part on his autobiography and its descriptions of Latta University.