Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1778November 21, 1857) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He was the uncle of

Origen S. Seymour Origen Storrs Seymour (February 9, 1804 – August 12, 1881) was a Democratic Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1850 and the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1873 to 1874. He was an unsuccessful candidate ...

and the great-uncle of Origen's son Edward W. Seymour. Horatio Seymour's brother Henry became a resident of

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

and was the father of

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...

, who served as

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

, and Julia Catherine Seymour, the wife of Senator

Roscoe Conkling Roscoe Conkling (October 30, 1829April 18, 1888) was an American lawyer and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who represented New York (state), New York in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Se ...

Early life

Seymour was born in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...

, on May 31, 1778, the son of Mary (Molly) Marsh Seymour and Major Moses Seymour, a veteran of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, the longtime Litchfield town clerk, and a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

. Horatio Seymour attended the local schools, and was tutored by his brother in law, the Reverend Truman Marsh. Seymour graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1797 and received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from Yale in 1799. He taught school in

Cheshire, Connecticut Cheshire ( ), formerly known as New Cheshire Parish, is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Cheshire was 28,733. The center of population of Connecti ...

, and studied at the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...

. Seymour then moved to

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...

, completed his legal training in the office of

Daniel Chipman Daniel Chipman (October 22, 1765April 23, 1850) was an American politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Chipman was born in Salisbury in the Connecticut Colony to Samuel and Hannah Austin Chipman. He gradu ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1800.

Start of career

Seymour established a successful law practice in Middlebury. He also trained several prospective attorneys in his office, including Edward John Phelps,

John C. Churchill John Charles Churchill (January 17, 1821 – June 4, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life John C. Churchill was born in Mooers, New York on January 17, 1821. He attended the Burr Seminary, Manchester, Vermont, and ...

, and

John Wolcott Stewart John Wolcott Stewart (November 24, 1825October 29, 1915) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. He served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and as the 33rd governor of Vermont before serving in the United States Ho ...

. He was active in the Episcopal Church, and the management of the Addison County Grammar School and

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

. From 1800 to 1809 Seymour was Middlebury's

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. He was a member of the State executive council from 1809 to 1814, and state’s attorney for

Addison County Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury. History Iroquois settled in the county before Europeans arrived in 160 ...

from 1810 to 1813 and 1815 to 1819.

United States senator

In 1820 Seymour was a successful

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

candidate for the United States Senate. He was reelected as a

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

in 1826, and served from March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1833. He did not run for re-election in 1833. During his Senate career, Seymour served as chairman of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses (

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

and 19th Congresses), and the Committee on Agriculture ( 22nd Congress).

Later career

Seymour continued his Middlebury law practice after leaving the Senate. By now a Whig, he ran unsuccessfully for

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

several times in the 1830s in an ultimately successful effort to have his new party supplant the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

as the main alternative to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. From 1847 to 1856 he served as Addison County's probate court judge.

Death and burial

Seymour died in

on November 21, 1857. He was buried in Middlebury's West Cemetery.

Family

In 1800 Seymour married Lucy Case of

Addison Addison may refer to: Places Canada * Addison, Ontario United States *Addison, Alabama *Addison, Illinois *Addison Street in Chicago, Illinois which runs by Wrigley Field * Addison, Kentucky *Addison, Maine *Addison, Michigan *Addison, New York ...

. They were the parents of four sons and two daughters. Lucy Case Seymour died in 1838. Seymour's son Ozias (1801–1861) was an attorney in Middlebury, and served as Addison County State's Attorney. His son Horatio Seymour Jr. (1813–1872) was an attorney in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

and served as Erie County's surrogate court judge. Seymour's son Moses was a merchant and farmer, first in Middlebury, and later in

Geneva, Wisconsin Geneva is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,390 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Como is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Lake Como is also located in the town. Geog ...

, and served in local office including president of Geneva's board of village trustees. His daughter Mary was 16 when she died of tuberculosis in 1821. Seymour's daughter Emma was the wife of Phillip Battell and they were the parents of two children before her death in 1841. Their daughter, also named Emma (1837–1900), was the wife of

. His son Henry served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

, and died in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1847.

Legacy

In 1811 Seymour received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of master of arts from

. In 1847 Yale University awarded Seymour an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

, an event timed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of his college graduation. In 1816 Seymour built a large brick house at the corner of what are now Main and Seymour Streets in Middlebury. His descendants made a gift of the house to the town in 1932, and it now operates as the Middlebury Community House, a meeting place that provides Middlebury's children with social, recreational and educational activities.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Horatio 1778 births 1857 deaths Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut Seymour family (U.S.) Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Vermont National Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont Democratic-Republicans Vermont National Republicans Vermont Whigs Vermont postmasters Vermont state court judges State's attorneys in Vermont People from Middlebury, Vermont Vermont lawyers Yale College alumni Litchfield Law School alumni Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers