Francis Seger (March 12, 1796 in

Berne german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 3 ...

– April or May 1872 in

Lyons Falls Lyons Falls is a village in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 566 at the 2010 census. The village is on the border of the towns of West Turin and Lyonsdale. It is at the junction of state Routes 12 and 12D, approximate ...

Lewis County, New York Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,582, making it the fourth-least populous county in New York. Its county seat is Lowville. The county is named after Morgan Lewis, ...

) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was the son of Garrett Seger and Catherine Seger. Seger was "crippled in one of his arms."''The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to 1840''
by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 2, Phinney & Co., Buffalo, 1850; pg. 262) He was admitted to the bar in 1823. In 1826, he moved to Lewis County. He married Laura Eliza Lyon, sister of Gov.

Caleb Lyon Caleb Lyon (December 7, 1822 – September 8, 1875) was Governor of Idaho Territory from 1864 to 1865 during the last half of the American Civil War. Biography Caleb Lyon was the son of Marietta Henrietta Dupont (1788–1869) and Caleb Lyon ...

(1822–1875). Seger was Deputy Clerk for several years, and

Clerk of the New York State Assembly The Clerk of the New York State Assembly heads the administration of the New York State Assembly. The outgoing clerk of the previous session presides over a new Assembly until a Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politi ...

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arthu ...

1829 Events January–March * January 19 – August Klingemann's adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ''Faust'' premieres in Braunschweig. * February 27 – Battle of Tarqui: Troops of Gran Colombia and Peru battle to a draw. * March ...

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Kyoto establ ...

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plan ...

and

1833 Events January–March * January 3 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833), Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. * February 6 – His Royal Highness Prince Otto ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(5th D.) from 1834 to 1837, sitting in the 57th, 58th, 59th and

60th New York State Legislature The 60th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to May 16, 1837, during the fifth year of William L. Marcy's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provis ...

s. Here he advocated the construction of the

Black River Canal The Black River Canal was a canal built in northern New York in the United States to connect the Erie Canal to the Black River. The canal had 109 locks along its length. Remains of several of the canal's former locks are visible along New York ...

which was begun in 1837. The northern end of the canal was at the Black River in Lyons Falls, within sight from Seger's residence. He was Supervisor of the Town of Greig from 1840 to 1843. He was First Judge of the Lewis County Court from 1843 to 1855, and also Surrogate from 1847 to 1855. He was one of the secretaries of the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1846. At the

New York state election, 1853 The 1853 New York state election was held on November 8, 1853, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, two Judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commis ...

, Seger ran on the Soft Democratic ticket for

New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the ...

, but was defeated by Whig

Elbridge G. Spaulding Elbridge Gerry Spaulding (February 24, 1809 – May 5, 1897) was an American lawyer, banker, and Republican Party politician. He opposed slavery and supported the idea for the first U.S. currency not backed by gold or silver, thus helping to keep ...

. Seger was a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and in 1854 was chosen as Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows of Northern New York. He was again Supervisor of the Town of Greig in 1865, and from 1867 to 1871. He was buried at the

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Notes

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 58, 130f, 145, 206f, 209f, 212f, and 361; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''The Democratic State Convention; The Softs and the Hards''
in NYT on September 16, 1853
''Grand Lodge I. O. of O. F. of Northern New York''
in NYT on August 24, 1854

transcribed from ''History of Lewis County, NY, and Its People'' by Franklin B. Hough (1883); at Ray's Place

transcribed from Lowville newspapers; at Dunham Wilcox
Lyon family history
at Lyons Falls History Association
''History of Lewis County NY''
by Franklin B. Hough (Munsell & Rowland, Albany NY, 1860; pg. 262)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seger, Francis 1796 births 1872 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators New York (state) Jacksonians 19th-century American politicians People from Lewis County, New York People from Berne, New York New York (state) state court judges Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Clerks of the New York State Assembly