Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/505

Rh SEYFFERT, Anton, Moravian missionary, b. in Krulich, German Bohemia, 15 Aug., 1712; d. in Zeist, Holland, 19 June, 1785. He united with the Moravians in 1728. In 1734 he was sent to Georgia with the first colony of Moravians, to establish a mission among the Creek and Cherokee Indians, but, owing to hostilities between Florida and Geor- gia, the enterprise was abandoned. In 1740 he re- moved to Pennsylvania, where he served in the church schools and in the ministry till April, 1745, when he returned to Europe.

SEYMOUR, Charles Bailey, editor, b. in Lon- don, 23 Oct., 1829; d. in New York city, 2 May, 1869. He came to New York in 1849, and became connected with the " Times," serving as musi- cal and dramatic editor until his death. From January to July, 1865, he was associated with Theodore Hagen in editing the New York " Weekly Review." He was correspondent for the " Times '" at the Paris exposition of 1867, where his services as one of the American commission procured him a medal from the emperor. He was the author of "Self-Made Men" (New York, 1858).

SEYMOUR, George Franklin, P. E. bishop, b. in New York city, 5 Jan., 1829. He was gradu- ated at Columbia in 1850, at the head of his class, and at the Episcopal general theological seminary in New York in . He was or- dained deacon in New York city, 17 Dec., 1854, by Bishop Horatio Potter, and priest in Greenburg (Dobb's PVrrv), N. Y., 23 Sept., . by the same bishop. His first field of labor was as mission- ary at Annandale, Dutehess county, N. Y., from Janu- ary,1855,tillJuly. 1861. As part of the result of his activity a church was built, and a training institution for candidates for orders was founded. The latter was chartered by the legislature of New York, under the title of St. Stephen's college, and Mr. Seymour was chosen to be first warden. He became in November, 1861, rector of St. Mary's church, Manhattanville, New York city, in October, 1862, of Christ church, Hud- son, N. Y., and a year later of St. John's church, Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1865 he was elected professor of ecclesiastical history in the General theological seminary, and in 1875 he became dean of the same institution, in conjunction with his professorship. During his connection with the seminary he was invited to rectorships of churches in Chicago, San Francisco, and Troy, N. Y T ., but declined. He was also active in securing $30,000 for new chapel and library buildings, and earnestly opposed the re- moval of the seminary from the city into the coun- try. From 1867 till 1879 he served as chaplain to the House of mercy, New York, without salary. He was also superintendent, of the Society for pro- moting religion and learning in the state of New York until 1878. He received the degree of S. T. D. from Racine in 1867, and that of LL. D. from Co- lumbia in 1878. Dr. Seymour was elected in 1874 bishop of Illinois in succession to Bishop White- house ; but the house of deputies, in general con- vention then assembled, owing, it is understood, to strong feeling against ritualism and its ramifica- tions, refused to confirm the election. He was unanimously chosen bishop of the new diocese of Springfield." 111., 19 Dec., 1877. This election was confirmed by the standing committees and the bishops, but Dr. Seymour declined in April, 1878. At the diocesan convention in May, 1878, he was again unanimously chosen bishop, and he felt con- strained to withdraw his letter and accept the bishopric. He was consecrated in Trinity church, New York, 11 June, 1878. The Episcopal church under his care has largely increased, and is well supplied with schools and other agencies for promoting the spread of the gospel. He attended the third Pan-Anglican council held at Lambeth palace, London, in the first week of July, 1888, and during the conference made an address that was much admired. Bishop Seymour has contrib- uted freely to church literature in annual addresses to his convention, and he has advocated the change of the name Protestant Episcopal church to "Church of the United States." His latest- work is " Modern Romanism not Catholicity " (Mil- waukee, Wis., 1888).

SEYMOUR, Horatio, statesman, b. in Pompey Hill, Onondaga CO., N. Y., 31 May, 1810; d. in Utica, N. Y., 12 Feb., 1886. He attended school in his native village until he was ten years of age, when he was sent to Oxford academy. In the spring of 1824 he entered Geneva academy (now Hobart college), and remained there a year, going thence to Partridge's military school at Middletown, Conn. He studied law with Greene C. Bronson and Samuel Beardsley, and was admitted to the bar in 1832, but he never practised his profession, the care of the property he had inherited taking up much of his time. He became military secretary of Gov. William L. Marcy in 1833, and held the place until 1839. In 1841 he was elected to the state assembly as a Democrat, and in 1842 was elected mayor of Utica by a majority of 130 over Spencer Kellogg, the Whig candidate. In 1843 he was renominated, but was beaten by Frederick Hollister by sixteen votes. In the autumn of the same year he was elected again to the assembly, and in the session that began in 1844 he distinguished himself among men like John A. Dix, Sanford E. Church, and Michael Hoffman. He was chairman of the committee on canals, and presented an elaborate report, which was the basis of the canal policy of the state for many years. He advocated the employment of the surplus revenue to enlarge the locks of the Erie canal and proceed with the construction of the Black river and Genesee valley canals, and he showed thorough confidence in the development of trade with the west. He was once more elected to the assembly in the autumn of 1844, and was chosen speaker in the legislature of 1845. In 1850 he became the candidate of the Democratic party for governor, as a man acceptable to all its factions; but he was defeated by the Whig candidate, Washington Hunt, by a majority of 262, though Sanford E. Church, his associate on the Democratic ticket, was elected lieutenant-governor. In 1852 lir was a delegate to the Democratic national convention at Baltimore, and did all in his power to have the vote of the New York delegation cast wholly for William L. Marcy, but failed. The same year he was again nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor, and was elected by a majority of 22.596 over his former competitor, Washington Hunt. During his term there was a strong temperance movement in the state, and the