George Nicholas Seger (January 4, 1866 – August 26, 1940) was an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
. Seger, a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, represented
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
for eighteen years, from 1923 until his death on August 26, 1940.
Seger first represented
New Jersey's 7th District from 1923 to 1933 and
New Jersey's 8th District from 1933 to 1940, where he succeeded
Fred A. Hartley Jr.
Biography
Seger was born on January 4, 1866, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. When he was thirty-three years old, Seger moved and settled in
Passaic, New Jersey.
As a resident of
Passaic
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...
, Seger involved himself in building up
business in the city. Seger involved himself with such organization as the
Freemasons,
Knights Templar,
Shriners,
Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City.
History
The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...
, and
Royal Arcanum
The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...
.
He later got involved in the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
's politics, serving as a member of the
board of education from 1906 to 1911 and then as
mayor of Passaic, New Jersey from 1911 to 1919.
During his mayoral term, he served as a delegate to the
Republican National Convention in 1916, member of the Council of National Defense during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and president of the
New Jersey State League of Municipalities in 1917 and 1918.
After serving as mayor, Seger became the city's director of finance, and held that position until 1923 when he ran for the House seat in
New Jersey's 7th District.
Politics
Seger won the election and succeeded
Amos H. Radcliffe, beating out Wilmer A. Cadmus, Frank Hubschmitt and Harry Santhouse.
In the election, he captured 54.6% of the vote, while the Democrat Cadmus captured 43.5%. Seger faced smooth re-election bids in 1924 and 1926, when he captured over 70% of the vote against his Democratic rivals. In December 1929, Seger's daughter, Alva M. Seger, married
Frederick Haskell Dominick, the
Democratic Representative
Representative may refer to:
Politics
* Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
* House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
* Legislator, som ...
from
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. In the
1930 United States House elections, Seger faced Harry Joelson in a close re-election bid. He captured 53.7% of the vote in the race for the seat in New Jersey's 7th district. Seger faced Joelson again in the 1932 elections, but this time, the race was much closer. Seger captured 49.2% of the vote, squeezing by Joelson by a mere 239 votes. Seger served as
New Jersey's 7th District representative until 1934, when he moved to the
New Jersey's 8th District. In the 1934 House elections, he faced
Frank J. Van Noort, a former
mayor of Paterson, New Jersey. Seger defeated Noort by capturing 53.6% of the vote. Seger won future re-election bids, and served as the Representative for the 8th district until August 26, 1940, when he suddenly died in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Legacy
He was succeeded by his long-time secretary,
Gordon Canfield, who served the position until 1961.
A
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
was commissioned under his name for use in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Liberty ship
Hull #3049, the SS ''George N. Seger'', built in
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...
, was laid down on June 17, 1944, and was launched more than a month later on August 8.
The ship was later scrapped in 1967.
See also
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)
References
External links
at the ''
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
The Political Graveyard profile for George Nicholas Seger*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seger, George N.
Mayors of Passaic, New Jersey
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
1866 births
1940 deaths
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey