Litchfield enquirer., 1857-12-10
THE LATE HON. EoRAT1o SEYMOUR.

/ The following biographical sketch, says the Md
dlebwy (vt) Register. is from the pen Of Hon Samuel
Swift who has been for half century intimately
acquainted with the subject Of it.
Hon Horatio Seymour IL D. died at his resi-.
dence in this vllage, at o'clock Saturday evening,
November 2lst. in the eghteth year of his age:
This event. although not unexpected, has spread
general sadness over the community. and justice to-
the memory of man held in such general and high
estimation while living, to require some no
tIce beside the simple announcement of his death.
| Holatio Seymour was born in Litchteld. Conn,
May 3lst, 1883. lie the son OF Maj Moses Sey-
mour, and Airs Mary (Maiah) Seymour Ills father
WAS respectable citizen oi that place, was in ths
WaE OF the Revolution represented the town In the
State Legislature, much OF the Iino from 1895 to
) ISL, ami was Town Clerk for nearly forty years.
The subject of this notice pursued STUDIES pr,parsto-
rv to his entering college at New Milford. Under the
tuition of his hrotLcr-irt-law, Rev Truman Marsh,
then located in that place H., was graduated at
Yale College i'll 1881, with credit in class distin-
guishcd for talent The following year lie spent az
an assistant teacher ia the academy al Cheshire,
Conn the second he spent III the study Of law at
Judge Reeves Law >,huol i'll l.tch:ed In October
199 he came 10 MI,tieLury, ind continued his
prof, s,i nal studies III the office OF Hon Daniel Chip
mHn. In the sp!ing OF $500 he WAS licensed to prac.
tcc law and in petition with several distinguish
ed and Older lawyers such as Daniel Chapman sam
uei Miller and others. entered immediately into IA
extensive practice. and rose rapidly III general e,I-
! Il
to extend his practice to other counties but in the
county OF Addison, other lawyer We believe ever
had So extensive business, wls engaged at the
same time III 50 many causes i'll the different courts
Not"ithstandnn his t,ltnts aud thorough owl
edge Of law, lie was probably no little inGrb;cd tor
his success to hls great popularity rs d man Ma
career as a lawyer WAS uninterrupted until the
! spring OF 1927.
| In the year of his admission to the bar, Mr.
! Seymour was appointed postmaster aud continued
III office tor nine years, but Tor much Cf the tint.
on account It the pressure Of his professional busi-
ness he committed TIE personal superintendcnce u
the ONCE with its Income, to other hands. When
the Vermont State Bank established. at the Sea-
! sion OF the Legislature in 1906 he chosen one
OF the first Directors and continued in that "fICS
until the branch at Midlcbury was closed. Ia 1903.
! he was elected by the pe"pl" Il member Of the Ea-
e"utive Council and Was annually reelected for the
five following Yeas In October, 1870, he
elected by the Legislature to tb" Senate Of the Uni
ted States. the duties Of the Office commence on
the 4th Of March, lS2l. AT the close of his Fist
term he ccted for q second This of course,
interruption to his professional pursuits AZ
the close OF his second tenn in 1853 lie returned to
the practice of law. This he continued until few
years SINCE when his intrmiies forced him to retire
from il. In the meantime in the fall Of lS4T ho
was elected Judge of Probate for the District Of Addi
son. and continued i'll that office until the fall OF
1859 when he declined reelection
The corporation ot Yale ollrge, ut the commence
ment in le41 the tftieth stry Of his gr, iua-
ton, conferred ON him the honorary degree of IL D.
Mr. Seymour wU5 cunstitutionCI!y difident and
distruottul of huseif 50 fan fl, IN seeking for cfi,e.
We think he never accepted one but with reluctance
and Though the solicitation Of friends Many years
ago, he stated to . friend the following incident -
AT the time Of his graduation the faculty of the COL
lese assigned him an oraticn part Of the public
exercises. His ,iitticnce forbade his undertaking
6ucn an exhibition before such audience and he
went to Dr Dwight. the President. Of whom he al
way s.oke with high respect, and requc tel to be
| cused. The President urged him with various
| coulagcmcntS and Arguments to perform his part.
Bat all IN vain. Mr. seymour told him it would bo
Impossible that he cOdid not 20 through with Il
aud that, il lie coul not be excused he must take
u dsinlssl"n from college. At length the Doctor
! consented TO excuse him This trait undoubtedly
influenced him in the discharge of his senatorial du
ties. He did not feel called on by Of duty.
| among 50 ma y distinguished Senators ready to
speak, to make display which his dsttust Of him,
self rba O. he was greatly respected for his SCUM
but modest opinions and his influence, tn ugh 81
lent and unobtrusiNe wits generally recognized ia
| the SENATE His intimate friends and associates
were among the most dstiugushe! men Connected
with the Government such Adams. King, Clay,
! Webster anu Marcy. But he did not oficn make
any formal addI csScs ia the Senate. 1t wda ULher
wise when he acted in the capacity Of advocate.
The rights and Interests Of his clients had been ell
| trusted to him, and he had Engaged for their de-
fence, and no personal feelings would justify his
neg leCt in his addresses 10 the court Jury, he
made no attempts at display but in his quiet AMI
| modest way, poured forth a powerful and comprc-
hcnoivc argument which bis opposing counsel found
it difficult to meet, and introduced points in the
| case, which had not occurred to them. He had
great ingenuity I'D tact in the management OF hAs
| causes
AS politician Mr.. Seymour was friend ani
supporter Of the administration Of Mr.. Jefferson and
| MIR. Madison. When party lines disturbed at
the close OF the and after the close OF Mr.. Mon
roes administration, several candidates were pre-
sented, rCckoned belonging to the same party, he
advocated the election Of MIR. Adams, and adhered
to what was known as his party, and has always
been decided whig. But in whatever party he WIS
classed he scrupulousiy adhered to the principles he
had adopted whatever tempting advances
| made To him to levate from them. He could never
be led into C. measure, which he thought wrong, at
the bidding of his party. In the discharge Of his Oth
cial duties, he exhibited unusual impartiaity, and
he has been known to oppose the general wishes OF
his party. when they did not accord with his own
views Of right Hi, personal friendships and intima
cies formed at Washington and elsewhere with.
out regard to party lines.
! Mr.. seymour WAS humble and unassuming, in all
| his positions and intercourse among men, He NADIA
no claims to distinction account of his own stand.
| ing. In his Intercourse with all ranks Of men, he
made all honest men his equals and treated them
as such He had great ingenuity and wisdom in ac-
comprising his purposes, and When circumstances
required he could keep his counsel - but he
had scrupuous regard to the rights md interests
OF all with whom he dealt and had no forbearance
LOT dishonesty or intrigue. BY the interest he ex
pressed IN the affairs of all who needed hs sympathy
and by bis courteous and very kindly treatment VI
all with whom he came in contact, in every form Of
association he secured not only the respect and
hdence, but the personal friendship OF ALI No man
had fewer, if he had any enemies, OR more attached
personal friends.
Mr. Seymour patron Of all our literary In.
sttutions. and for many years was a mber of thu
corporations of MIDI, ebury College nd Adlison
County Grammar School. He was elected q mem
her of the former in 1910. He united with ths
Episcopal Society at its first Organization, was for
many years senior Warden of the parish, aud hss
been communicant IN the church for many years.