Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/323

 SEW ALL

SEWALL

States government, the citizens revolted, called a convention and organized the proposed state of Franklin by adopting a constitution which was ratified by popular vote ; a legislature was chosen, and John Sevier, the chief leader of the move- ment, was elected governor of the new state of Franklin. Under his government the jnilitia was re-organized, courts were opened, and friend- ly relations were establislied with the Indians. In 1787 an attempt was made by Governor Cas- well of Nortli Carolina to subdue the new state which had been formed without the consent of the legislature of North Carolina, and after a brief struggle between the two parties in the states, the scheme was abandoned in 1788. Sevier was imprisoned, rescued and took the oath of allegiance to the U.S. government. In 1790 the land in dispute was ceded to the United States and became the Southwest Territory. Sevier and his followers were granted amnesty by the government of North Carolina, and he was made brigadier-general of the militia and admitted as a state senator. He was a representative from North Carolina in the 1st U.S. congress, taking his seat, June 16, 1790. and serving till March 4, 1791. He commanded the militia in the campaign against the Creek and Cherokee Indians in 1789 ; was made a general in the U.S. provincial army, and on the admission of Tennessee, June 1, 1776, he was chosen governor, serv- ing, 1796-1801 and 1803-09. He was a representative from Tennessee in the 12th and 13th congresses, 1811-15, was appointed by President Mon- roe U.S. commissioner to de- termine the boundary be- tween Georgia and the Creek territory in Alabama, and he died while performing this service. He founded Washington college in 1785. A monu- ment was erected to his memory in Nashville, Tenn. ; and Sevier county was named in liis honor. He died near Fort>Decatur, Ala., Sept. 24, 1815.

SEWALL, Arthur, shipbuilder and financier, was born in Bath, Maine, Nov. 25, 1835 ; son of William Dunning and Rachel (Trufant) Sewall ; great-grandson of Col. Dummer Sewall of the Revolutionary army and Mary Dunning, his wife ; and six generations from Henry Sewall, who married Jane Dummer, and settled in Newbury, Mass., 1634. His father had established a ship- building firm in 1823, and after receiving a com- mon school education, the son at an early age entered its employ, and in 1854 succeeded with his elder brother to the business, building and managing a fleet of constantly increasing num- bers and proportions. Upon his brother's death the firm style became Arthur Sewall & Co. After launching the Roanoke, the last built and

largest wooden ship in the world, Mr. Sewall turned his attention to steel, and in 1894 launched the Dirigo, the first steel sailing ship built in America. He was a firm believer in the future of the American merchant marine and of its importance to the nation, and constantly proved his faith by adding to his fleet. He did not con- fine his activities to the sea, but was largely interested in land transportation. He was di- rector and for nine years president of the Maine Central railway, president of the Eastern railway before its merger in the Boston & Maine, director of the Boston & Maine, New York & New Eng- land, and Mexican Central railroads. He was president of the Bath National bank and identi- fied with many industrial corporations. Mr. Sewall was always a Democrat, was a delegate to the national conventions, 1872, 1876, 1880 and 1884, member of the Democratic national com- mittee, 18S8-96, candidate of his party for U.S. senator, 1893, and in this year declared in favor of the free coinage of silver, and at the Chicago convention of 1896 accepted the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States. He was married in 1859 to Emma Dun- can Crooker of Bath, also a descendant of Henry Sewall. He died at Small Point, Me., Sept. 5, 1900.

SEWALL, David, jurist, was born in York, Maine, Oct. 7, 1735 ; son of Samuel and Sarah Titcomb (Batchelder) Sewall, and grandson of John and Hannah (Fessenden) Sewall. He was graduated from Harvard. A.B., 1755, A.M., 1758, and was admitted to the bar in 1763. He was col- lector of excise for York county, and in 1766 was appointed register for the probate of wills for York county. He was councillor for the Pro- vince of Maine, 1766-77 ; justice of the supreme court of the state of Massachusetts, 1777-81, and judge of the supreme judicial court, 1781-89. He was an elector at large for Massachusetts in 1789, and was judge of the U.S. district court of Maine, 1789-1817. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Bowdoin college in 1812. He was a member of the Massachusetts Historical so- ciety ; a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a trustee of Bowdoin college, 1794-1815. He died in York, Me., Oct. 22, 1825.

SEWALL, Frank, educator, was born in Bath, Maine, Sept. 24, 1837 ; son of William Dunning and Rachel Allen (Trufant) Sewall ; grandson of Joseph and Lydia (Marsh) Sewall and of David Trufant, and a descendant, through John and Henry, of Henry Sewall, mayor of Coventry, Eng- land, 1606. whose son Henry immigrated to New England and settled in Newbury, 1634, where lie married Jane Dummer, and had sons, Samuel, John, Stephen. Frank Sewall was graduated from Bowdoin college, A.B., 1858, A.M., 1861; continvied his studies in the universities of Tiibin-