David Gilliland Latta was a politician in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and a municipal councillor in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

Biography

David Latta was born June 6, 1869 in Ballycarny, County Wexford

County Wexford

County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He was educated in nearby Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...

, and came to Canada in 1889. He settled briefly in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 before moving to Whitemouth, Manitoba

Whitemouth, Manitoba

Whitemouth is a community in the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth located in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. The community is named after the Whitemouth River. It was built along the main Canadian Pacific Railway line....

, where he joined the North-West Mounted Police in 1890. He was stationed near South Battleford, Saskatchewan, where he founded a sheep farm after being discharged in 1893. While there, he married Jessie Scott. In 1897 he sold the farm and moved to Edmonton, lured by the Klondike Gold Rush

Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...

.

In Edmonton, he worked as a carriage maker for three years, during which time his wife died in childbirth; he remarried, to Emily Decouteau, in 1899. In 1900 he established a blacksmith and carriage shop, which would become Latta and Lyons Company after he partnered with John H. Lyons in 1902.

In 1905, Latta was appointed to Edmonton City Council

Edmonton City Council

The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...

 to complete the term of Kenneth McLeod

Kenneth McLeod

Kenneth Archibald McLeod , was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. He was also the builder of the McLeod Building, the Edmonton's first skyscraper.-Early life and career:...

, who had resigned. He served until the 1906 municipal election

Edmonton municipal election, 1906

The 1906 municipal election was held December 10, 1906 for the purpose of electing a mayor and four aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council, as well as five public school trustees and six separate school trustees...

, in which he did not run, and did not return to politics thereafter, disillusioned by the bickering of his fellow council members.

In 1912, Latta's partnership with Lyons ended, as the latter left to found Lyons Motors Ltd. The old company continued business as D. G. Latta Ltd. It did well, and developed a specialty and shoeing racehorses to improve their speed. Latta shifted his focus to selling blacksmith supplies wholesale after many of his staff enlisted to fight in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. In 1918, Latta founded Belatta Collie Kennels; dogs from the kennel captured prizes at dog shows in Alberta and British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

In 1931, Latta retired and moved to Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

with his wife, leaving the business in the hands of his accountant. He suffered a stroke in January 1948, and returned to Edmonton where he died November 11. He was survived by his second wife, four daughters, and five sons.

In 1952, Latta Bridge in Edmonton was named in his honour.