Seth Barton (December 5, 1795 – December 29, 1854) was an American attorney and government official who was active in Alabama and Louisiana. He served the federal government as

Solicitor of the United States Treasury The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury. Function The Solicitor of the Treasury served as legal advisor to t ...

and Chargé d'affaires in Chile.

Biography

Barton was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

on December 5, 1795, the son of shipping merchant Seth Barton and Sarah Emerson (Maxwell) Barton. He attended

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

, where he studied law and attained admission to the bar. In 1821 he relocated to

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

, where he continued to practice law and became involved in the

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

business. He apparently served in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, in that he was often referred to in correspondence and press accounts as "Colonel", though the exact details of his military service are not currently known. Barton was elected to the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1825. In 1828 Barton was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. Barton moved to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 1830, where he continued to practice law as a partner of Judah P. Benjamin. In 1843 he ran unsuccessfully for the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

, and in 1844 he supported

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...

for President, including writing letters to the editor under the pen name ''

John Randolph of Roanoke John Randolph (June 2, 1773May 24, 1833), commonly known as John Randolph of Roanoke,''Roanoke'' refers to Roanoke Plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, not to the city of the same name. was an American planter, and a politician from Vi ...

''. Polk, as President, rewarded Barton with an appointment as Solicitor of the Treasury, where he served from 1845 to 1847. Barton served as U.S. Chargé d'affaires in Chile from 1847 to 1849. While at this post he created controversy by marrying a local woman in a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

service. The leaders of Chile's

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church were angered because as a Protestant and a man who had been divorced, they believed Barton to be violating church tenets by marrying Isabel Astaburruaga, who was Catholic. After leaving office, Barton resumed practicing law in New Orleans as the partner of Pierre Soulé. He died of yellow fever in New Orleans on December 29, 1854.American Biographical Notes
by Franklin Benjamin Hough, 1875, page 19

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Seth 1795 births 1854 deaths People from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Members of the Alabama House of Representatives Politicians from New Orleans Washington and Lee University alumni American lawyers 19th-century American diplomats Polk administration personnel United States Department of the Treasury officials Ambassadors of the United States to Chile 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature