Abraham Jefferson Seay
Encyclopedia
Abraham Jefferson Seay (November 28, 1832 – December 12, 1915) was an American lawyer, soldier, judge, and politician. Seay attained the rank of colonel
during the American Civil War
. Later, Seay would serve as an associate justice
on Oklahoma Territory
's supreme court
and as the second Governor of the Oklahoma Territory.
on November 28, 1832. Seay’s family descended from English ancestry, with Seay able to trace his family to settlers who came to North America during the landing at Jamestown, Virginia
, in 1642. At the age of three, Seay’s father moved his family to Osage County, Missouri
, where Seay’s father started a farm and experimented in agriculture. During the winter of 1853 to 1854, Seay, at the age of 21, began working on the construction of Missouri Pacific Railroad
. Seay used the money he earned from the railroad towards gaining an education.
In the spring of 1855, Seay enrolled at the Steelville Academy. His time at the academy was cut short when his father’s death forced him to return home and assist his mother in caring for the farm and raising his eleven other brothers and sisters. Despite this, Seay’s time was alternated between teaching a public school and working on the farm. During his brief time at Steelville, Seay found an interest in law. He would spend years reading law
materials at irregular intervals until in August, 1860, Seay moved to Cherryville, Missouri
where he entered a law office. Within months of the move, Seay, in April, 1861 at the age of 29, was admitted to the Missouri bar association
.
Seay would not have much time to enjoy his new position. The same month Seay passed the bar exam, fighting began in the American Civil War
. Immediately Seay enlisted as a volunteer in the Union army
. As a private
, Seay assisted in the enlistment of 200 men, which become part of the 32nd Missouri Infantry commanded by Colonel John C. Phelps. Seay’s work during the Civil War earned him several promotions. Seay was promoted successively to captain, major, and lieutenant colonel
. Seay would serve the Union army well, fighting in the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, Battle of Vicksburg
, Battle of Jackson, Battle of Chattanooga, Battle of Lookout Mountain
, Battle of Missionary Ridge
, Battle of Atlanta
, Battle of Savannah
, Battle of Bentonville
, and the Battle of Columbia
. Seay last service came at Raleigh, North Carolina
, while general Joseph E. Johnston
surrendered. At the conclusion of the war, Seay left the army at the rank of colonel
of his regiment.
, county attorney
of Crawford County. Later, Seay was advanced to circuit attorney
before his retirement in 1870. After leaving government, Seay entered into private practice until 1875. During that year, Seay was elected circuit judge
of the 9th Missouri District. Following the end of his first six-year term, Seay would win reelection to a second six-year term.
Judge Seay declined a third term, preferring to resume his private practice. While in private practice, Seay entered into the realm of banking. Seay personally organized a bank at Union, Missouri
, which he became president of until his death. Seay also personally strived to endorse the First National Bank of Rolla, Missouri
. Later, Seay would become the president of that bank as well.
was first being opened to settlers. The United States Congress
officially changed the unorganized land into a government controlled territory with its own government. US President
Benjamin Harrison
appointed Major George Washington Steele
to serve as the territory’s first Governor. President Harrison also appointed Seay to serve as an Associate Justice
on the territory’s Supreme Court
.
Justice Seay would serve on the Supreme Court throughout Governor Steele’s administration. On October 18, 1891, Governor Steele resigned his position and Robert Martin
, the secretary of Oklahoma Territory, became the acting governor. Seay submitted his name to President Harrison to serve as the second governor. However, it would be three months later when Harrison officially appointed Seay to the office. On February 1, 1892, Justice Seay resigned from the judiciary and was inaugurated as the second governor of Oklahoma Territory at Guthrie
.
Governor Seay would be in office only sixteen months. Under his administration, nothing of enduring importance occurred. The only important event was the opening with a land run of the Cheyenne
-Arapaho
Reserve on April 19, 1892. This served to widen both the Oklahoma Territory’s and Governor Seay’s domains. Seay governorship came to an abrupt end when President Grover Cleveland
appointed William Cary Renfrow
governor on May 7, 1893.
and on November 23, 1899, he organized the Central State Bank of Kingfisher. Later, the bank’s name was changed to the First National Bank of Kingfisher. On October 26, 1904, the bank was taken over by the Kingfisher National Bank. Despite that take over, Seay remained his position as bank president.
Seay was an active member of the Episcopal Church as well as a member of the Freemasons. In the year before his death, Seay, by a tragic accident, suffered a bow to his hip, fracturing the bone. The injury worsened as Seay aged. Eventually, the injury sickened Seay to a wheelchair
for the rest of his life.
In 1909, Seay purchased a home in Long Beach, California
. Seay would spend the rest of his life in California until his death on December 12, 1915. His remains were returned to Oklahoma for burial and interred in the cemetery at Kingfisher, where his grave is suitably marked. His funeral was held at the Masonic Temple
in Guthrie. Governor of Oklahoma
Robert L. Williams
and his staff attended the funeral.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Later, Seay would serve as an associate justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
on Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
's supreme court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
and as the second Governor of the Oklahoma Territory.
Early Life and Civil War
Abraham Jefferson Seay was born to Cam and Lucy J. Seay at Amherst Court House, Amherst County, VirginiaAmherst County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,894 people, 11,941 households, and 8,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile . There were 12,958 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile...
on November 28, 1832. Seay’s family descended from English ancestry, with Seay able to trace his family to settlers who came to North America during the landing at Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, in 1642. At the age of three, Seay’s father moved his family to Osage County, Missouri
Osage County, Missouri
Osage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was named for the Osage River. As of 2000, the population was 13,062. Its county seat is Linn. The center of population of Missouri is located in Osage County, in the city of Westphalia .Osage County is part of the...
, where Seay’s father started a farm and experimented in agriculture. During the winter of 1853 to 1854, Seay, at the age of 21, began working on the construction of Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
. Seay used the money he earned from the railroad towards gaining an education.
In the spring of 1855, Seay enrolled at the Steelville Academy. His time at the academy was cut short when his father’s death forced him to return home and assist his mother in caring for the farm and raising his eleven other brothers and sisters. Despite this, Seay’s time was alternated between teaching a public school and working on the farm. During his brief time at Steelville, Seay found an interest in law. He would spend years reading law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
materials at irregular intervals until in August, 1860, Seay moved to Cherryville, Missouri
Cherryville, Missouri
Cherryville is an unincorporated community in southeastern Crawford County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Route 19 about ten miles south of Steelville at the northern terminus of Route 49. It is near the Mark Twain National Forest....
where he entered a law office. Within months of the move, Seay, in April, 1861 at the age of 29, was admitted to the Missouri bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
.
Seay would not have much time to enjoy his new position. The same month Seay passed the bar exam, fighting began in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Immediately Seay enlisted as a volunteer in the Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. As a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
, Seay assisted in the enlistment of 200 men, which become part of the 32nd Missouri Infantry commanded by Colonel John C. Phelps. Seay’s work during the Civil War earned him several promotions. Seay was promoted successively to captain, major, and lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. Seay would serve the Union army well, fighting in the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, Battle of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, Battle of Jackson, Battle of Chattanooga, Battle of Lookout Mountain
Battle of Lookout Mountain
The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assaulted Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and defeated Confederate forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson....
, Battle of Missionary Ridge
Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Missionary Ridge and defeated the...
, Battle of Atlanta
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed...
, Battle of Savannah
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
, Battle of Bentonville
Battle of Bentonville
At 3 p.m., Confederate infantry from the Army of Tennessee launched an attack and drove the Union left flank back in confusion, nearly capturing Carlin in the process and overrunning the XIV Corps field hospital. Confederates under Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill filled the vacuum left by the retreating...
, and the Battle of Columbia
Battle of Columbia
The Battle of Columbia was a series of military actions that took place November 24–29, 1864, in Maury County, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It concluded the movement of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee from the...
. Seay last service came at Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, while general Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
surrendered. At the conclusion of the war, Seay left the army at the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of his regiment.
After the Civil War
Upon his return from the war, Seay was appointed, by Governor Willard Preble HallWillard Preble Hall
William Willard Preble Hall was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 17th Governor of Missouri from 1864 to 1865 during last years of the American Civil War.-Early years:...
, county attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
of Crawford County. Later, Seay was advanced to circuit attorney
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
before his retirement in 1870. After leaving government, Seay entered into private practice until 1875. During that year, Seay was elected circuit judge
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
of the 9th Missouri District. Following the end of his first six-year term, Seay would win reelection to a second six-year term.
Judge Seay declined a third term, preferring to resume his private practice. While in private practice, Seay entered into the realm of banking. Seay personally organized a bank at Union, Missouri
Union, Missouri
Union is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,204 at the 2010 census making Union the fastest growing community in Franklin County, Missouri. It is located on the Bourbeuse River. The city was founded in 1827 and is named after the...
, which he became president of until his death. Seay also personally strived to endorse the First National Bank of Rolla, Missouri
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The population in the 2010 United States Census was 19,559.It is the county seat of Phelps County...
. Later, Seay would become the president of that bank as well.
Oklahoma Territory Politics
During the 1890s, Oklahoma TerritoryOklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
was first being opened to settlers. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
officially changed the unorganized land into a government controlled territory with its own government. US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
appointed Major George Washington Steele
George Washington Steele
George Washington Steele was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician who twice served as a Congressman for Indiana, from 1881 to 1889 and again from 1895 to 1903...
to serve as the territory’s first Governor. President Harrison also appointed Seay to serve as an Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
on the territory’s Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
.
Justice Seay would serve on the Supreme Court throughout Governor Steele’s administration. On October 18, 1891, Governor Steele resigned his position and Robert Martin
Robert Martin (Oklahoma)
Robert Martin was the first person to act as Acting Governor of Oklahoma Territory.-Territorial career:When US President Benjamin Harrison appointed George Washington Steele as Oklahoma Territory's first Governor, Martin was appointed to serve as the Territory's Secretary...
, the secretary of Oklahoma Territory, became the acting governor. Seay submitted his name to President Harrison to serve as the second governor. However, it would be three months later when Harrison officially appointed Seay to the office. On February 1, 1892, Justice Seay resigned from the judiciary and was inaugurated as the second governor of Oklahoma Territory at Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
.
Governor Seay would be in office only sixteen months. Under his administration, nothing of enduring importance occurred. The only important event was the opening with a land run of the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
-Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
Reserve on April 19, 1892. This served to widen both the Oklahoma Territory’s and Governor Seay’s domains. Seay governorship came to an abrupt end when President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
appointed William Cary Renfrow
William Cary Renfrow
William Cary Renfrow was an American Civil War soldier and Democratic 3rd Governor of Oklahoma Territory.-Early Life and Civil War:...
governor on May 7, 1893.
Late life
After leaving office, Seay made his home in KingfisherKingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,380 at the 2000 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College.-History:...
and on November 23, 1899, he organized the Central State Bank of Kingfisher. Later, the bank’s name was changed to the First National Bank of Kingfisher. On October 26, 1904, the bank was taken over by the Kingfisher National Bank. Despite that take over, Seay remained his position as bank president.
Seay was an active member of the Episcopal Church as well as a member of the Freemasons. In the year before his death, Seay, by a tragic accident, suffered a bow to his hip, fracturing the bone. The injury worsened as Seay aged. Eventually, the injury sickened Seay to a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
for the rest of his life.
In 1909, Seay purchased a home in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Seay would spend the rest of his life in California until his death on December 12, 1915. His remains were returned to Oklahoma for burial and interred in the cemetery at Kingfisher, where his grave is suitably marked. His funeral was held at the Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
in Guthrie. Governor of Oklahoma
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
Robert L. Williams
Robert L. Williams
Robert Lee Williams was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the third Governor of Oklahoma. Williams would also play a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution...
and his staff attended the funeral.
Sources
- Meserve, John Bartlett. "The Governors of Oklahoma Territory". Chronicles of Oklahoma 20:3 (September 1942) 218–227 (accessed August 28, 2006).
- Abraham Jefferson Seay
- Abraham Jefferson Seay