James Lindsay Seward (October 30, 1813 – November 21, 1886) was an American politician and lawyer. Born in

Dublin, Georgia Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,074. It is the county seat of Laurens County. History The original settlement was named after Dublin, Ireland. Dublin, accordi ...

in 1813, Seward moved with his family to

Thomas County, Georgia Thomas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census the population was 44,720. The county seat is Thomasville. Thomas County comprises the Thomasville, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Thomas Count ...

, in 1826. He studied law, gained admission to the state bar in 1835, and began practicing law in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany. The city deems itself the "C ...

. Seward was elected to the

Georgia State House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

in 1835 and served in that position through 1839. He was elected to that body again in 1847 and served through 1852. He was elected in 1852 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to represent

Georgia's 1st congressional district Georgia's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is currently represented by Republican Buddy Carter, though the district's boundaries were redrawn following the 2010 United States Census, which ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for the 33rd Congress. He was elected to two more terms in that seat before not seeking reelection in 1858. Returning to his practice of law, Seward also served as a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1858, 1859, and 1860. He was elected to the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

from 1859 through 1865 and was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

s in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Seward served on the board of trustees of Young’s Female College from 1860 through 1886 and of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

from 1865 through 1886. He continued to be involved in politics, serving as a delegate to the Georgia constitutional convention in 1865, the Democratic Conservative Convention in 1870 and the Georgia constitutional convention in 1877. He died in Thomasville on November 21, 1886, and was buried in that city's Laurel Hill Cemetery.

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* 1813 births 1886 deaths Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia people Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Dublin, Georgia People from Thomasville, Georgia American slave owners 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub