New York
Gov. Horatio Seymour
-
January 1, 1853 - January 1, 1855
January 1, 1863 - January 1, 1865 - Democratic
- May 31, 1810
- February 12, 1886
- New York
- Hobart College, Captain Partridge Military Academy
- Married Mary Bleeker
About
HORATIO SEYMOUR, the twentieth and twenty-fourth governor to serve New York, was born in Pompey Hill, New York on May 31, 1810. His education was attained at Utica Academy, at Hobart College, and at the Captain Partridge Military Academy in Connecticut. He went on to study law, and in 1832 was admitted to the bar. Seymour first entered politics in 1842, serving as a member of the New York House of Representatives, a position he held again from 1844 to 1846 and from which he served as speaker in 1845. He also served as mayor of Utica in 1843. After running unsuccessfully for the governorship in 1850, Seymour was elected in 1852. He won reelection to a second term in 1862. During his administrations, the penal system was reformed; liquor prohibition was opposed; and the Civil War was supported, however the Union’s military draft and the emancipation proclamation were both denounced by Seymour. After losing his 1864 reelection bid, Seymour retired briefly from politics. In 1868 he chaired the Democratic National Convention, where he won the presidential nomination. However, in the general election he lost to Ulysses S. Grant. Governor Horatio Seymour passed away on February 12, 1886, and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Deerfield, New York.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
