Stephen Latchford

Stephen Latchford (February 4, 1883 – October 1, 1974) was a United States diplomat, lawyer and one of America's earliest experts in aviation law. A federal government employee, Latchford started as a clerk working in the Panama Canal Zone. For the next forty years, he rose through the ranks of the U.S. Foreign Service to become one of its most senior members.

During the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s he had a major influence on the role of aviation in America and was a main contributor in the development of international air laws. He served as a government adviser on air law during World War II and played a crucial role in preparation and planning for the Marshall Plan.

Latchford is best known for being one of the principal aviation experts during the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman and for his extensive work in the American Section of the International Technical Committee of Aerial Legal Experts, commonly known as CITEJA (an abbreviation taken from the initials for its French name, ''Comité International Technique d'Experts Juridiques Aérien''.) Provided by Wikipedia