James Lindsay Seward

Who was James Lindsay Seward?

James Lindsay Seward was an American politician and lawyer.

Born in Dublin, Georgia in 1813, Seward moved with his family to Thomas County, Georgia, in 1826. He studied law, gained admission to the state bar in 1835, and began practicing law in Thomasville, Georgia.

Seward was elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives in 1835 and served in that position through 1839. He was elected to that body again in 1847 and served through 1852. He was elected in 1852 as a Democrat to represent Georgia's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for the 33rd Congress. He was elected to two more terms in that seat before not seeking reelection in 1858.

Returning to his practice of law, Seward also served as a delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1858, 1859, and 1860. He was elected to the Georgia Senate from 1859 through 1865 and was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Conventions in Baltimore, Maryland and Charleston, South Carolina.

Seward served on the board of trustees of Young’s Female College from 1860 through 1886 and of the University of Georgia in Athens from 1865 through 1886.