William Winston Seaton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Winston_Seaton

William Winston Seaton (January 11, 1785 – June 16, 1866) was an American journalist and the thirteenth Mayor of Washington,

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The Seaton family, with genealogy and biographies By Oren Andrew Seaton. Printed in Topeka, Kansas by Crane & Company, 1906.

p. 109

 William Winston Seaton has been given another write-up,  much more in detail than can be attempted here ; but for those  who have no opportunity to read the "Biographical Sketch" of  him, we give the following, gleaned from several sources: 

He was born January 11, 1785, at Chelsea, in Virginia, the ancestral home of this line of Seatons. From the sketch mentioned we learn that "Under the paternal roof passed young William's childhood in happy companionship of brothers and sisters, his tastes refined by gentle maternal influences, his intelligence quickened by the noted society frequenting his father's hospitable home, which numbered among its cherished guests the illustrious Patrick Henry."
A domestic tutor directed the education of the youth, and of course his brothers and sisters, in the earlier paths of learning, until he reached, in Richmond, Virginia, what was then the culminating academic polishing of Ogilvie, the Scotchman, "whose earldom of Finlater slept while he was playing pedagogue in America."
Young William belonged to a military company in Richmond from his boyhood, and he was a sportsman skilled in the use of
p. 110

firearms. We are told that at the early age of eighteen his mind was quite matured, his ambition aroused, and he passed into the arena of public life, entering with manly earnestness upon the career of political journalism, of which he was one of his country's pioneers, and which his well-earned fame and social distinction crowned with honor.

 He made his first essay into the stormy field of politics as assistant editor of a Richmond journal, having acquired a practical  knowledge of "the art preservative of all arts'' in the same office with that master of journalism, Thomas Richie. 

William Seaton soon received an invitation to take charge of a more prominent journal, in Petersburg, Virginia, then edited by Colonel Yancey. This was in the spring of 1806, and in the next year he accepted an advantageous offer and the persuasions of the retiring editor to assume proprietary editorship of the North Carolina Journal, of Halifax.
p. 111

 On March 30th, 1809, he was married to Sarah Weston Gales, daughter of Joseph Gales and Winifred Gales, of Raleigh, North  Carolina, formerly of Sheffield, England; and it appears to have  been a most happy union of hearts as well as hands and a bright  feather in his cap in the way of social advancement, for Mrs. Seaton proved to be one of the brightest and most fascinating ladies of the nation's capital city. 

In October, 1812, he joined his fortunes with those of his brother- in-law, Joseph Gales, which association transferred the names of Gales and Seaton from the head of the Register to that of the National Intelligencer of Washington, D. C, of which journal the subject of this sketch was editor at the accession of James Madison to the presidency; and still he was in the same position during the administration of our first martyred President, the lamented Abraham Lincoln, and was yet hale and hearty and in full possession of his magnificent powers though eighty years of age.
"Had it not been for the industry of Gales and his partner, William W. Seaton, an important part of the proceedings of the Senate and House of Representatives, which they reported, would not have been preserved. Especially is this true of the great debate between Hayne and Webster. (Continental Encyclopaedia.)
William Winston Seaton enrolled himself as a private in a volunteer company commanded by Captain John Davidson, at Fort Warburton, and was in the various expeditions on which his command was detailed during the War of 1812. He was with the company on August 24, 1814, at East Branch, and also at Bladensburg, when they were engaged with the enemy.
The Intelligencer office was sacked by orders of Admiral Cockburn, a British officer, as a petty spite against the publishers for the help they gave the cause of their country.
A letter to Mr. Seaton from General G. H. Stuart, of the British army, is addressed to "Colonel" W. W. Seaton, though we have no other evidence of his having been promoted at such a surprising stride. But he was at least Captain of the Washington Guards in October, 1824, and his son, Augustine F. Seaton, was also the Captain of the "Young Guards, who eclipsed even the veterans
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commanded by his father, and it was declared to be the best drilled volunteer corps at the reception of General Lafayette in Alexandria on that memorable occasion.

 Mr. Seaton is reported to have offered this toast at the reception  given to the distinguished guest of the nation: 

"The United States and France, their early friendship — may it ever be maintained by mutual acts of kindness and justice."

 He also entertained the noble Frenchman at his home on December 15, 1824, when all of the President's cabinet, except Mr. William  Harris Crawford, were present, as was every member of the diplomatic corps, except Baron Marenit, the French minister, who was precluded from society for three months at that time by some rule of court etiquette. 

Lafayette attended the Unitarian church with the Seatons during his stay in Washington, being desirous of hearing the Reverend Mr. Little, of whose fervid eloquence he had heard. And Mr. Seaton accompanied Lafayette as far as Baltimore on his departure from the capital, and visited the cattle show with him in that city. He was also chosen, with the Mayor of Washington, at another time, to escort Lafayette from the President's to a private en famille evening at the home of Mr. Barlow, a personal friend of the titled foreigner, from which place Mr. and Mrs. Seaton accompanied him to a concert.
William Winston Seaton was for ten years elected to the Mayoralty of the city of Washington, D. C, and in that capacity entertained the city's guests in the persons of General Bertrand, Charles Dickens and wife, and many others, at his home.
He was an active member of the Washington Monument Society, of which organization he was chosen vice-president. And the corner-stone of the monument was laid during one of his terms as Mayor, which event, by the way, was the last appearance in public of President Taylor, July 4, 1848.
Winfield Scott and William Winston Seaton were intimate companions in their youth, both living in Richmond, Virginia at the time, there being only one year difference in their ages, and both attended the same school, that of Ogilvie, the Scotchman, mentioned before.
p. 113

 Daniel Webster and our Mr. Seaton were quite intimate, often  visiting back and forth in each other's homes in Washington, and quite as frequently writing to each other, as is shown by letters  given in the Biographical Sketch of our subject. 

Far ahead of the time in which he lived, he emancipated his slaves of his own volition, and assisted as many as desired in colonizing themselves in Africa, being an active and practical member of the Colonization Society at the time. It has been said of him that he freed more of his own slaves, at his own suggestion, than all of the Abolitionists in the North had ever done up to the time of the Emancipation Proclamation of the President.
There are many letters in existence that were written to him by noted men of several countries, among the number one from Lord Durham, Governor-General of Canada, who is reported to have pronounced Mr. Seaton "the most charming American he ever met."
In Nicolay and Hay's Life of Abraham Lincoln in the Century magazine, is a portrait of W. W. Seaton, of Washington, D. C, and in the Continental Encyclopaedia it is stated that he and his brother-in-law were the only reporters in Congress for eight years, from 1812 to 1820, one working in each house. And W. W. Seaton is mentioned in the Encyclopaedia Britannica in connection with Joseph Gales, where it is said they formed a partnership in 1812, and that the Intelligencer was changed from a tri-weekly to a daily in 1813; and further, that the files of the Intelligencer form an important part of the authentic documents relating to United States history.
The children born to William and Sarah Seaton were as follows, in the order of their birth: 1. Augustine Fitzwhylson; 2. Julia; 3. Altona; 4. Gales; 5. William Henry; 6. Ann Eliza; 7. Josephine; 8. Caroline; 9. Virginia; 10. Malcolm; and 11. Arthur.
Mr. Seaton retired from the management of the National Intelligencer on December 31, 1864, and if we are not much mistaken, considerably reduced in fortune on account of the war, for when the South seceded from the Union, in 1861, his subscription list must have suffered to the number of subscriptions carried in the Confederacy.

p. 114

 Mrs. Sarah (Gales) Seaton died on December 23d, 1863, and was  buried on Christmas day. Mr. Seaton survived his wife only about three years, dying at Washington, D. C, June 18, 1866, aged about eighty-one years. 

The reader is referred to the Biographical Sketch of William Winston Seaton for fuller particulars regarding the life of this most excellent gentleman. The said sketch is said to have been written by his daughter, Josephine Seaton.
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https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/seaton-william-winston

Seaton, William Winston 11 Jan. 1785–16 June 1866

by Caroline Holmes Bivins, 1994; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, January 2023

Note: See website for copyrighted article.

[MTD]

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http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/AGF5638.0001.001?rgn=main;view=toc

https://books.google.com/books?id=gakufAY_1EMC&printsec=frontcover&...

Book:

WILLIAM WINSTON SEATON OF THE "NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER." A Biographical Sketch. WITH PASSING NOTICES OF HIS ASSOCIATES AND FRIENDS.

by Josephine Seaton

BOSTON: JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY, LATE TICKNOR & FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO. 1871.

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https://books.google.com/books?id=VeSDB5tKDagC&pg=PA309&lpg=PA309&d...

Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Edited by William S. Powell Volume P - S

p. 309

Seaton, William Winston

See website for copyrighted material.

[MTD]

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http://doc.genealogyvillage.com/willian-winston-seaton-grand-master... http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.seaton/592/mb.ashx

William Winston Seaton, Grand Master, 1822-24

See the website for copyrighted biography.

Source: History of the Grand Lodge and Freemasonry in the District of Columbia, compiled by W. Brother Kenton N. Harper, 1911.

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Seeking descendents of AUGUSTINE & MARY WINSTON SEATON of VA Posted: 26 Jul 2006 10:22AM GMT by Kathryn Mereness

I am looking for descendants of Augustine Seaton and his wife Mary Winston who married in 1776 in Louisa Co., VA. Mary Winston was the daughter of Samuel Winston who's will was written in 1758 in Louisa Co. Mary Winston Seaton had a sister named Ann Winston who probably married a Shelton in Louisa Co., VA and became the mother of Richard Shelton, b. Dec.1779 Louisa Co., VA - d.1842 Greensboro, Guilford, NC. The other Winston children were John Winston who moved to NC and then Campbell/Kenton Co., KY; Maj. Joseph Winston who married Elizabeth Lanier [Winston-Salem, NC is named for him], William Winston and Anthony Winston. Augustine & Mary Winston Seaton were the parents of Lucy Seaton who married Thomas Rose of Richmond, VA, Augustine Hill Seaton, Leonard Hill Seaton, William Winston Seaton who married Sarah Gales and he became the mayor of Washington, DC, Elizabeth Seaton who married Samuel Scott of Richmond, VA and John Seaton. I would like to find descendants of these people to see if any of them might have information on what happened to Ann Winston Shelton. We would like to find Ann's marriage information and her death date and burial place.

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William Winston Seaton (January 11, 1785 – June 16, 1866) was an American journalist, born in King William County, Virginia.

From 1812 until 1860 he was, with his brother-in-law Joseph Gales, proprietor of the National Intelligencer at Washington, D.C. From 1812 until 1820 the two were the only reporters of congressional proceedings. Their Annals of Congress, Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States from 3 March 1798, till 27 May 1824 (42 volumes, 1834–1856), and their Register of Debates in Congress from 1824 till 1837 (29 volumes, 1827–37) are sources of the utmost importance on the history of the times.

Contents

   * 1 Mayor of Washington D.C.

   * 2 Societies

   * 3 Later life

   * 4 References

   * 5 Sources

   * 6 External links

Mayor of Washington D.C.

Seaton served on the Washington Board of Alderman from 1819 to 1831, and was elected Mayor of Washington in 1840. However, Seaton was a Whig — the political party formed in opposition to the policies of the Democrats who then controlled both the Congress and the presidency. Federal officials were so distraught at Seaton's election that the Senate introduced legislation that would abolish the city's charter; thanks to petitions from District citizens and sympathetic Senators, the bill was tabled after three readings.

During his 10 years as mayor, Seaton was instrumental in the development of the city's public education system and in numerous civic improvements, including telegraph and gas lines as well as the construction of the first waterworks.

Societies

During the 1820s, Rush was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.[1]

Later life

Seaton died in 1866 of skin cancer and was interred in an unmarked grave at Congressional Cemetery in Washington.

References

  1. ^ Rathbun, Richard. The Columbian institute for the promotion of arts and sciences: A Washington Society of 1816-1838.. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, October 18, 1917. http://books.google.com/books?id=MY-5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq.... Retrieved 2010-06-20. 

Sources

   * William Winston Seaton of the 'National Intelligencer'  By Josephine Seaton

   * Chest of Books

External links

   * William Winston Seaton at Find a Grave

Source: Downloaded Jan. 3, 2011, from Wikipedia.