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Thomas Hart Seymour (September 29, 1807September 3, 1868) was an American lawyer and
Seymour died of typhoid fever, in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 3, 1868 (age 60 years, 340 days). He is interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery. In 1850 the town of Humphreysville, Connecticut—then contemplating a change of name—was renamed Seymour in his honor.
in JSTOR
* Niven, John. ''Connecticut for the Union: The Role of the State in the Civil War'' (Yale University Press, 1965) * Talmadge, John E. "A Peace Movement in Civil War Connecticut." ''New England Quarterly'' (1964): 306-321
in JSTOR
* Warshauer, Matthew. ''Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice, and Survival'' (Wesleyan University Press, 2011)
Thomas Hart Seymour
from "A History of the Seymour Family" (by George Dudley Seymour and Donald Lines Jacobus, 1939)
Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Thomas Henry 1807 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Russia American male journalists American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Candidates in the 1864 United States presidential election Connecticut lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Military personnel from Connecticut Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut United States Army officers 19th-century American lawyers Copperheads (politics)
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politician who served as the 36th governor of Connecticut from 1850 to 1853 and as minister to Russia from 1853 to 1858. He was the leader of the peace settlement in the Democratic Party, and narrowly lost the April 1863 gubernatorial election.
Early life
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, to Major Henry Seymour and Jane Ellery, Seymour was sent to public schools as a child and graduated from Middletown Military Academy in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1829. He studied law and wasadmitted 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 1833, commencing practice in Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
.
Career
A judge of probate from 1836 to 1838, Seymour was also Editor of the ''Jeffersonian'' from 1837 to 1838. In 1842, he was elected to theU.S. 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 ...
and served one term from 1843 to 1845, declining reelection in 1844.
During the Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
, Seymour was commissioned as a major in the Connecticut Infantry on March 16, 1846, later recommissioned to the new 9th United States Infantry on April 9, 1847. Due to his courageous leadership at the Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec was a battle between American forces and Mexican forces holding the strategically located Chapultepec Castle just outside Mexico City, fought 13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War. The building, sitting ...
, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 12th Infantry under Colonel Milledge L. Bonham on August 12, 1847.
After the war, Seymour made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...
in 1849
Events
January–March
* January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps.
* January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...
, but was elected governor by the Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...
the next year in 1850
Events
January–June
* April
** Pope Pius IX returns from exile to Rome.
** Stephen Foster's parlor ballad "Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway" is published in the United States.
* April 4 – Los Angeles is incorporated as a city ...
. He was re-elected in 1851, 1852
Events
January–March
* January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic.
* January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...
and 1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 – Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
* January 8 – Taiping R ...
. He served as an 1852 presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
, endorsing Franklin Pierce and, in return for his support, Seymour was appointed to serve as minister to Russia and resigned the governorship shortly after being reelected to a fourth term. He accepted the commission of Minister to Russia from President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
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* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Franklin Pierce. He resigned from the governorship on October 13, 1853, and spent the next four years in Russia, where he built a warm and ongoing alliance with the Czar Nicholas and his son. He served in this position until 1858 when President James Buchanan replaced him with Francis W. Pickens. In Russia, his attaches included Daniel Coit Gilman
Daniel Coit Gilman (; July 6, 1831 – October 13, 1908) was an American educator and academic. Gilman was instrumental in founding the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale College, and subsequently served as the second president of the University ...
and Andrew Dickson White
Andrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator who cofounded Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricu ...
.
Seymour made two unsuccessful attempts to return to the governorship in 1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...
and 1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
at the 1864 Democratic National Convention
The 1864 Democratic National Convention was held at The Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.
The Convention nominated Major General George B. McClellan from New Jersey for president, and Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio for vice president ...
, losing to Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
general George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
.
Death and legacy
Seymour died of typhoid fever, in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 3, 1868 (age 60 years, 340 days). He is interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery. In 1850 the town of Humphreysville, Connecticut—then contemplating a change of name—was renamed Seymour in his honor.
References
Further reading
* Cowden, Joanna D. "The Politics of Dissent: Civil War Democrats in Connecticut," ''New England Quarterly'' (1983) 56#4 pp. 538–554 DOI: 10.2307/36510in JSTOR
* Niven, John. ''Connecticut for the Union: The Role of the State in the Civil War'' (Yale University Press, 1965) * Talmadge, John E. "A Peace Movement in Civil War Connecticut." ''New England Quarterly'' (1964): 306-321
in JSTOR
* Warshauer, Matthew. ''Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice, and Survival'' (Wesleyan University Press, 2011)
External links
Retrieved on 2009-05-26Thomas Hart Seymour
from "A History of the Seymour Family" (by George Dudley Seymour and Donald Lines Jacobus, 1939)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Thomas Henry 1807 births 1868 deaths 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Russia American male journalists American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Candidates in the 1864 United States presidential election Connecticut lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Military personnel from Connecticut Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut United States Army officers 19th-century American lawyers Copperheads (politics)