Horatio Seymour

Early Life and Career

Horatio Seymour was born on May 31, 1810, in Pompey, New York. He became a lawyer in New York in 1832 and mostly worked with his family's business. He later served as a military secretary to Governor William L. Marcy. Seymour was elected to the New York State Assembly and became its speaker in 1845. He was part of Marcy's "Softshell Hunker" faction.

Governor of New York

Seymour served as the eighteenth Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and again from 1863 to 1864.

Civil War and Reconstruction

Seymour tried to help prevent the Civil War by supporting the Crittenden Compromise. During the Civil War, he supported the Union but thought President Abraham Lincoln led poorly. After the war, Seymour backed President Andrew Johnson and his Reconstruction policies.

Presidential Campaign

At the 1868 Democratic National Convention, Seymour was nominated to be president. He ran against Republican Party candidate General Ulysses S. Grant in the 1868 United States presidential election. Grant won the election. After that, Seymour did not run for office again but stayed involved in politics and helped Grover Cleveland in his 1884 campaign.

Early life and education

Horatio Seymour was born in Pompey Hill, Onondaga County, New York in 1810. His father, Henry Seymour, was a merchant and politician. His mother was Mary Ledyard Forman, from Matawan, New Jersey. He had five siblings. One of his sisters, Julia Catherine, later married Roscoe Conkling.

When Seymour was 10, his family moved to Utica. There, he went to several local schools, including Geneva College, which later became Hobart College. In 1824, he attended the American Literary, Scientific & Military Academy at Norwich University. After graduating in 1828, he returned to Utica and studied law with Greene Bronson and Samuel Beardsley. He passed the bar exam in 1832 but preferred politics and helping manage his family’s business. He married Mary Bleecker in 1835.

Political career

Horatio Seymour began his political career in 1833 when he became military secretary to New York’s new Democratic governor, William L. Marcy. This role helped him learn about state politics and made him a good friend of Marcy. Later, he returned to manage his family’s estate and got elected to the New York State Assembly. He also served as mayor of Utica for a short time.

Seymour first tried to become governor of New York in 1850 but lost. He tried again in 1852 and won, starting his first term in 1853. His time as governor was busy and full of challenges, especially with disagreements inside his political party. He lost his re-election bid in 1854.

After losing, Seymour stayed important in national politics. During the Civil War, he supported the war effort but disagreed with President Lincoln’s methods. In 1862, he ran for governor again and won. His second term was also difficult, with many disagreements over war policies and other issues. He lost re-election in 1864.

Seymour remained a key figure in the Democratic Party. In 1868, he was unexpectedly chosen as the Democratic candidate for president but lost to General Ulysses S. Grant. After the election, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, ensuring voting rights for all citizens regardless of race.

Later years

After trying to become president, Seymour kept working in politics in New York, mostly giving advice instead of leading. He was given some special jobs, like leading Union College in 1873. In 1874, he chose not to run for the United States Senate and supported someone else instead.

Seymour's health was not strong and it got worse around 1876. Still, he helped support Grover Cleveland when he ran to become president in 1884. In 1885, he joined an important group called the Society of the Cincinnati.

In early 1886, Seymour's wife became ill, and Seymour's health kept getting worse. He died in February 1886 and was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica, New York. His wife died a month later and was buried next to him.

Legacy

The city of Seymour, Wisconsin was founded in 1868 and named after Horatio Seymour. He is also remembered in the Cathedral of All Saints (Albany, New York), which was completed in 1888. There is even a Seymour Avenue in the Bronx, New York, named in his honor.

Electoral history

Horatio Seymour was an important person in some elections. He was chosen to be Governor of New York two times, first from 1853 to 1854 and then again from 1863 to 1864. After that, he was the Democratic Party's choice to be President of the United States in the election of 1868. But he did not win. The Republican candidate, Ulysses S. Grant, became president instead.