“From the Archives” — Hugh Latham, Mayor of Alexandria

Founding parishioner Col. John Fitzgerald was mayor of Alexandria in 1786-87. There was not another Catholic mayor for 80 years, when Hugh Latham was elected. One of 11 children of Irish immigrants, Latham (1813-1880) operated stagecoaches that ran from King and Fairfax Streets to Pennsylvania Avenue, near the U. S. Capitol in DC. The fare was 25 cents; extra charge for large trunks. Latham’s ads in the Alexandria Gazette promised promptness, safety and speedy door-to-door service. He was active in civic and church activities, and served as a fireman for more than 40 years.

In 1866, at the end of the Civil War, Latham was elected mayor of Alexandria. Contemporary newspapers described him as conservative and competent, serving at a difficult time when Alexandria was transitioning from wartime Union occupation to a post-war city. He faced widespread unemployment and housing problems, especially among two groups of people: 1) former enslaved persons (“contrabands”) who had flocked to the occupied city during the war and 2) Union soldiers still encamped in the area. He also had to deal with many citizens who had fled the city for safety during the war, returning home to find their property had been confiscated by the Union. Latham’s own home was confiscated in 1863.

In 1868, Latham and all municipal officials in Virginia who had served in the Confederate military or otherwise aided the successionists were removed from office as part of the Federal Reconstruction Acts. Latham had not served in the military, but he was a strong supporter of the Southern cause and was accused of being a spy. Because of these orders, Alexandria cancelled its city elections until 1870, when Virginia was readmitted to the Union. Latham was re-elected mayor at that time, after taking the oath to uphold the United States and its Constitution. Being removed from office may have increased his popularity. At a fund-raising fair to support the new Saint Mary’s School in 1869, Latham came in third place in a popularity contest…ahead of Father Kroes, then the pastor of Saint Mary!

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian