Herbert Floyd Seawell (August 8, 1869 – February 15, 1949)"H. F. Seawell Dies at Home", ''The Raleigh News and Observer'' (February 16, 1949), p. 10. was a North Carolina lawyer and politician who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 1910 to 1914, and judge of the United States Board of Tax Appeals (later the United States Tax Court) from 1929 to 1936.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Duplin County, North Carolina, to Dr. Virgil Newton Seawell and Ella Croom, Seawell attended Wake Forest College and received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He gained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in the state in 1892, and entered the private practice of law in Carthage, North Carolina. Seawell was a Populist until 1892, when he became a Republican. Seawell's first foray into politics was in 1894, when he ran as a Republican candidate for solicitor in the Seventh Judicial District. Seawell was ruled by a three-to-two vote of the Board of State Canvassers to have lost the contest, in part because a large number of ballots were returned for "Herbert L. Seawell", and were discounted. A court voided the election outcome, but Seawell declined a temporary appointment to the position offered by Governor Elias Carr, preferring to seek a judgment of entitlement to hold the office for the full four-year term. Seawell ultimately prevailed, holding the office from 1894 to 1898. In 1906, Seawell was a member of the Board of Electors for

Moore County, North Carolina Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727. Its county seat is Carthage and its largest municipality is the Village of Pinehurst. It is a border county between the Pi ...

U.S. Attorney, gubernatorial candidate, and federal judicial service

In 1909, President William Howard Taft nominated Seawell for a position as a United States District Court judge, but the nomination was not confirmed by the United States Senate. Taft then nominated Seawell for the position of United States Attorney, and this nomination was confirmed."Connor to Endorse Seawell for Judge", ''The Twin-City Daily Sentinel'' (September 2, 1922), p. 12. Seawell served in this office until 1914, and afterwards was a delegate to the

1916 Republican National Convention Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * J ...

. In 1922, Judge

Henry G. Connor Henry Groves Connor (July 3, 1852 – November 23, 1924) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Education and career Born on July 3, 1852, in Wilmington, North Caroli ...

indicated that he would endorse Seawell to succeed him on the federal bench, as Connor was then considering retiring to take a professorship, but the nomination again failed, and Connor instead remained on the bench until shortly before his death in 1924. Seawell was the Republican nominee in the

1928 North Carolina gubernatorial election The 1928 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1928. Democratic nominee O. Max Gardner defeated Republican nominee Herbert F. Seawell, with just over 55% of the vote. This was, relatively, a close election for the time ...

, losing to Democratic nominee O. Max Gardner, who won over 55% of the vote. In July 1929, North Carolina Republican leaders put Seawell and

Irvin B. Tucker Irvin is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Irvin J. Borowsky (1924-2014), American publisher *Irvin Cobb (1876–1944), American author *Irvin Dorfman (1924–2006), American tennis player *Irvin Du ...

forward to President Herbert Hoover as candidates for an open seat on the

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

, but neither was selected for the seat. Hoover then nominated Seawell for a seat on the United States Board of Tax Appeals in Washington, D.C., to which Seawell was confirmed, serving from 1929 to 1936. Following this service, Seawell returned to private practice.

Personal life

Seawell married Ella McNeill on July 30, 1895, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. Seawell's older son, Herbert F. "Chub" Seawell Jr., also became involved in state politics and was the Republican nominee in the 1952 North Carolina gubernatorial election, and was also unsuccessful in his bid for the office. Seawell retired from the practice of law around 1946 due to illness, and died at his home in Carthage in 1949, at the age of 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seawell, Herbert F. 1869 births 1949 deaths People from Duplin County, North Carolina Wake Forest University alumni University of North Carolina School of Law alumni North Carolina Republicans United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of North Carolina Members of the United States Board of Tax Appeals United States Article I federal judges appointed by Herbert Hoover Seawell family