Seth Wakeman (January 15, 1811 – January 4, 1880) was an American attorney and politician from

Batavia, New York Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, ...

. Initially a Whig, and later a Republican, he was most notable for his service in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 1856 to 1857 and 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 ...

from 1871 to 1873.

Early life

Wakeman was born in Franklin, Vermont on January 15, 1811, the son of Nathan Wakeman and Phoebe Johnston. The Wakeman family soon moved to

Pembroke, New York Pembroke is a town in Genesee County, Western New York, United States. The population was 4,292 at the 2010 census. The town is named after a town in west Wales. Pembroke lies on the west border of Genesee County, west of Batavia. History Pem ...

, where Nathan Wakeman joined the New York Militia for the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. He died in Malone, New York while on military duty. Seth Wakeman attended the local schools of Pembroke and became a farmer. He served in local offices including constable and justice of the peace, and studied law. In 1844, Wakeman was

admitted 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 ...

and commenced practice in

. Originally a Whig, he served as Genesee County Treasurer (1845 to 1846), and Genesee County District Attorney (1850 to 1855). He was also active in several business ventures, including serving as secretary of the Batavia and Lancaster

Plank Road A plank road is a road composed of Plank (wood), wooden planks or wikt:puncheon#Noun, puncheon logs, as an efficient technology for traversing soft, marshy, or otherwise difficult ground. Plank roads have been built since antiquity, and were comm ...

Company. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Batavia and Oakfield Plank Road Company. In 1852, Wakeman was appointed secretary of the Buffalo and Batavia Plank Road Company.

Continued career

Wakeman became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s. He was a member of the

(Genesee Co., 1st D.) in

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – The American sidewheel steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatl ...

and

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...

. Wakeman was also a delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1867 and 1868. In 1868, Wakeman was a candidate for the Republican nomination for a seat in the

, which was won by

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...

, who went on to win the general election. In 1870, Wakeman was elected to the

42nd United States Congress The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...

. He served one term, March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873.

Later life

After leaving Congress, Wakeman resumed practicing law. In 1875 his health began to decline, and he retired from most of his legal and business interests. For the last few years of his life, Wakeman was nearly invalid and largely confined to his home. Wakeman died in Batavia on January 4, 1880. He was interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Batavia.

Family

In 1832, Wakeman married Demis Powers of Pembroke. They were the parents of two children, Eugene (b. 1834) and Demie (1836–1904). In 1856, Wakeman married Laura Winans of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. They were the parents of Mary Emma (1860–1919), Bryan Seth (b. 1862), Henry Clay (1864–1870), and William Sprague (1868–1954).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeman, Seth 1811 births 1880 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature