The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-02-18
DEATH OF HORATIo SEYMOUR.
A skotoh of Ex-Governor seymour's Life

UTICA, N. Y, February l2.-Ex- Gov
ernor Seymour died at exactly 10 o'clock
10 night at the residence of his sister,
Mrs. Roscoe Conkling. He began to fail
perceptibly at 4 o'clock this afternoon.
Shortly afterward, owing to stimulants
being administered to him, he rallied a
little, but soon relapsed into total un-
consciousness. During his illness he ex-
perienced little if any physical suffering,
and to-day was wholly without pain.
Mrs. Seymour, who is very i'll, sat with
her husband during the afternoon most
of the time. The Ex-Governor rested
peacefully. At half-past s be was sink
ing rapidly. His pulse could scarce y
be counted, aud respiration was more
and more difficult. He expired without
struggle and as peacefully as if falling
asleep.
The immediate cause of death was
cerebral effusion, the usual process of
death in old age. Those present when
he passed away were Mrs. Seymour and
her sister, Mrs. Nelson, of New Bruins
wick, N. j. The Ex- Governors brother,
John F. Seymour, of Utica, his sister,
Mrs. Lynclaen, and Mrs. Conkling, DR..
w. E. Ford, Judge Bulger, Horatio Sey.
mour, Jr., and Henry S. Miller, neph-
ews of the Governor, and the Rev.
| Charles II. Gardner, rector of Trinity
| Church, of which Ex Governor Seymour
was communicate.
| Horatio Seymour was born in Pcmpey,
OnorJooo Cruntv Naval 1910. Civil.
ization had only just begun to redeem
that portion of the State from the viii:
deruess. Syracuse had no existence and
Utica was but hamlet. Henry Sey.
mour, the father of Horatio, had emf.
grated from Litch6eld, Conn.,, and be.
longed to that famous Seymour family
which gave his brother, Horatio Sey.
mour, to the United States Senate from
vermont, and in Connecticut gave one
nephew, Judge Origen S. Seymour, to
the Bench, and another, Thomas 81.
Seymour, to the Gubernatorial chair.
Horatio Seymour was sent successively
to Oxford Academy, Geneva (now TIo.
bart) College aud Capt. Partridge's mill.
tary school, at Middletown, Connecticut.
In 1918 the family removed to Utica,
where Henry Seymour at once took a
prominent position, socially and politi-
cally, becoming afterwards one of the
members of the famous Albany regency.
In 1892 Mr.. Seymour was admitted to
the Bar. His entrance in his profession
was soon followed by his marriage to
Miss Mary Bleecher, of Albany. Mrs.
Seymour brought large estate to her
husband, and he found his time so occu-
pied with its care and with the manage
ment of his own modest fortune that he
never accumulated any legal practice.
In lS42 he was elected member of
the State Assembly, and there be made
his mark. In the same year he was
elected Mayor of Utica, and the next
year he was again chosen to the Legisla-
ture and was made Speaker of the
House.
In the fall of 1850 MI. Seymour was
called to take the Democratic nomina-
ton for Governor. The Democrats then
we're in hopeless minority in the State
and there was no expectation of success ;
but Mr.. Seymour unhesitatingly respon.
ded to the call of his party, made a
vigorous campaign and was defeated, but
only by the small plurality of 262 votes.
Under the circumstances his vote was
marvellous, and in 1852 he was unani.
mously renominated and again threw
himself ardently into the canvass. This
time he was successful, being elected by
plurality of 22,596. Governor Sey.
mour's administration was distinguished
for its honesty and economy. It's record
has no blot. In the winter of 1854 lie
was called upon to manifest the courage
of his opinions by vetoing the so-called
Maine liquor law that bad been approved
by the Legislature. The bill was vetoed
on the ground that it deprived people of
their property in manner prohibited by
the Constitution, and that it sanctioned
an iniquitous right of search. For this
action the Governor was unsparingly de-
nounced. The clergy and the churches
set themselves in array against him, and,
as natural consequence, when he ran
again for Governor in 1854, he was
defeated. Myron II. Clark, the Wing
and Temperance nominee, was elected by
plurality of 800 votes.
In its incipient stages he was opposed
to the war and did all that he could to
maintain peace. He did not believe in
the enforced abolition of slavery. He
doubted if it would result to the advan-
tage of the negro. In his opinion the
slavery agitated had resulted disadven-
tageously even to those black people who
lived at the North. Holding such views
it was not to be expected that Governor
Seymour would hasten to array himself
against the South. But when the war
had broken out and it WAS manifest that
the Union of the States was in deadly
peril, he came patriotically to the front
and did good service in the committees
charged with the enrolment of troops
and their care in the field.
In the darkest hour of the war Horatio
Seymour was again called upon to lead
his party as its candidate for Governor.
Mr.. Seymour made sixty speeches,
visiting all parts of the State, and had
the satisfaction of finding himself
returned by majority of 1882 votes.
On March %, 1863, President Lincoln
addressed letter to Governor Seymour,
marked, "Privatc and CONFIDENTIAL" in
which he said: You and l arc sub.
stanti.lly strangers and write this
chiefly that we may become better
acquainted 1, for the time being, am at
the head of nation which is in great
peril, and you are at the head OF the
greatest State of that nalion," and asked
the views of Mr.. Seymour. The re.
spouse came: 81 assure you that no
political resentments, no personal pur.
poses, will turn me aside from the path
-. 1 l,.... .,,n I'd n,,k G. r ,,,rsalf x K