Born in
Milford,
Delaware, Latchum received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree from
Princeton University in 1940, and was a captain in the
United States Army following
World War II from 1940 to 1946. He received a
Bachelor of Laws from the
University of Virginia School of Law in 1946. He was a lieutenant colonel in the
United States Army Reserve during
World War II, from 1946 to 1961. He was in private practice in
Wilmington, Delaware from 1946 to 1968. He was an attorney at the Delaware State Highway Department from 1949 to 1951. He was an
Assistant United States Attorney of the District of Delaware from 1951 to 1953. He was an attorney at the Delaware Interstate Highway Division from 1955 to 1963. He was an attorney at the Delaware River and Bay Authority from 1963 to 1968. ==Federal judicial service==