William Henry Seaman

William Henry Seaman (November 15, 1842 – March 8, 1915) was an American lawyer, jurist and Wisconsin pioneer. He served 22 years as a United States federal judge, first as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (1893–1905), and then as a judge of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (1905–1915). Prior to his judicial service, he was the 21st mayor of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and served in the Union Army for nearly the entire American Civil War.

Early life and education

William Henry Seaman was born in New Berlin, Wisconsin Territory, on November 15, 1842. His father, William Seaman, had brought the family to the Wisconsin Territory from Buffalo, New York, the previous year. His mother, Arelisle (Crane) Seaman, was descended from some of the earliest Puritan settlers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His paternal grandfather, Williams Seaman, was a Democratic state senator in the New York State Legislature.

His father had intended to bring goods to the territory and set up a store, but the supplies were lost in a shipwreck. Instead, they settled in what was then western Milwaukee County and built a saw mill and log cabin, where our William H. Seaman was born. Unfortunately, in the winter after his birth, the saw mill burned down and the family had to relocate again. This time they moved to village of Milwaukee, where his father became a harness maker. The next year they moved to Ceresco, and finally, in 1845, to Sheboygan, where his father was finally able to prosper as a merchant. In 1891, he was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin.

Federal judicial service

Seaman was nominated by President Grover Cleveland on March 27, 1893, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin vacated by Judge James Graham Jenkins. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 3, 1893, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 1, 1905, due to his elevation to the Seventh Circuit.

Seaman was nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt on February 25, 1905, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit vacated by Judge James Graham Jenkins. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1905, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. He served until his death in 1915.

Personal life and family

Judge Seaman was a member of the Congregational church, the Knights Templar, the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Grand Army of the Republic.

He married Mary A. Peat on December 17, 1868. They had one son and two daughters.

He died on March 8, 1915, while on vacation in Coronado, California, with his daughter.