The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-07-13
ARTHUR sEwALLs CAREER.
The Vice Presidential Canditlatea Leading
Maine Ship Builder.

The Vice Presidential Candidates Leadin,
Maine Ship Builder.
Arthur Sewall, the Democratic nominee fol
vice president, was born at Bath, Me-, Nov. rs
1850 The estate on which he was born ant
where he now resides has been in possession o.
the Sewall family since l760. His grandfather
Fought in the war Of the revolution.
By occupation Mr.. Sewall was originally q
shipbuilder, and he is now largely interested
In shipping railways and banking. For nine
years he was president Of the Maine Central
railway, from which position he retired two
years ago He Is now president of a bank al
Bath, is interested in the Bath Iron works and
amember ct other commercial enterprises.
Steadily for over seventy years has the Sew
all private signal, white 80" on a blue ground
futtered from the main spar Of some of the
staunchest, finest, swiftest vessels in the Ameri-
can merchant marine, carrying the stars and
stripes into every foreign port
From the days Of the first chubby little Di-
ana, built In 1923, to the great steel Dirigo,
launched in 1904, this house has been in the
van with designs for merchant vessels. Be.
ginning under William D.. Sewall in 1923 the
house has been continuous, and today it owns
the largest sailing merchantmen afoat under
our flag.
William D. Sewall was succeeded by his sons
under the name Of E. & A. Sewall, which firm
has since become Arthur Sewall g. Co., with
Arthur Sewall, the Democratic nominee for
vice president, at its head, and his nephew
Samuel s. Sewal, and one of his sons, William
D. sewall, associated with him.
The first Of the Sewall family came to Amer
lea in 1854, and Dummies Sewall, the grand
father OF the first shipbuilder, went to Bath
from New York, which was also in the district
OF Maine, in 1852 when he purchased the tract
OF land on which to this day stands the Sewall
yard and the houses of the Sewall family. In
the seventy'one years that the Sewalls have
been building ships, they have owned ninety
ave vessels.
Arthur Sewall grew up among the scenes of
the shipyard and seashore, acquiring q farpil-
tarity with the business life which has served
him well not only in that particular branch,
put in many other lines Of mercantile life.
There is hardly corporation in Sagadahock
county in which he Is not interested. He is
prominent in railroad circles as well as in poll
tics, being still director in many railroads,
besides having been president of the Maine
Central.
The vice presidential nominee, nearly twice
as old as the head Of the ticket, il much older
than he looks. He is splendid example of pby-
steal manhood. His hair and mustache are
slightly tinged with gray, but the wrinkles of
age have scarcely made their appearance on his
face.
MIR. Sewall was married in 1859 to Miss Emma
d. Croker, of Bath He has two children liv-
ing both of them sons, Harold NJ. and William
d. Sewal1 Harold was the first consul general
OF the United States to Samoa. In 1885 he was
nominated by Consul Russell, at Liverpool, as
vice and deputy consul, and held the office un-
til March, 1887, when he resigned to accept the
Samoan consulsbip.
The affairs in Samoa at that time were very
complicated Germany wanted to exercise o
protectorate over the islands, which would have
resulted in her annexing the best of them Eng
land and the United States wanted a native
government-"Samoa for the Samoans," with
King Malitoea as ruler. The Germans, how
ever, had encouraged king" Tennessee, and
the United States consul at that time at Apia
was recalled as unfit to deal with such com.
pltcation.
Harold Sewall soon attracted attention by
his official course. He was finally summoned
to Washington by Secretary Bayard and fire.
quently appeared before the senate committee
on foreign relations. He testified 10 freely and
fully before that committee that Secretary
Bayard requested his resignation on the ground
that his openly expressed views on Samoan af-
fairs did not agree with those Of the state de-
partment His resignation was rendered and
accepted. This dsgusto.l young Sewall, and he
has since becn prominent III the Republican
party of his state.