Halleck W. Seaman 1860-1941

SEAMAN, CARTER, SCOTT, KERR

Posted By: Michael J. Kearney (email)
Date: 12/31/2002 at 15:56:03

The Clinton Herald Monday December 15, 1941 p. 12 Seaman, Waterways Pioneer, Dies at 81 Death End Varied and Active Career of Late Resident of Clinton Halleck W. Seaman, 81, one of the nation's outstanding advocates of inland waterways development, died at 8 o'clock this morning in his home, 516 Fifth avenue South, after a general decline in health over a period of several months. Death of Mr. Seaman removes from Clinton one of its most colorful and enterprising figures. No person in the city's history worked harder than he for the greater development of Clinton and its resources. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the family home. Burial will be in Springdale. In connection with the services in the home, the Rose Croix funeral service will be conducted by Delphic chapter, Knights Rose Croix of DeMolay consistory, A.A.S.R. Masons, with E.H. Stephens acting wise master. Mr. Seaman was born Sept. 26, 1860, in Clinton, the son of Richard S. and Emma Carter Seaman. Because his life closely paralleled the city's growth, he had a rich background of historical information pertaining to it. Mr. Seaman was educated in the Clinton public schools, was graduated from Clinton High school and received his degree in civil engineering at the State University of Iowa in 1882. His marriage to Miss Helen Valeria Scott took place Dec. 28, 1887. He is survived by Mrs. Seaman, a son, Dwight S. Seaman, and a sister, Mrs. I.K. Kerr, Calgary, Alb., Canada. Preceding him in death were his parents; two brothers, Sherman Seaman and Preston Seaman, and a daughter who died in 1902 at the age of 11. After serving as a civil engineer in the extension westward of the Chicago and North Western and the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul railroads, Mr. Seaman engaged in the study of law in the office of Judge George B. Young in Clinton and was admitted to the Iowa state bar in 1887, his interest in the practice of law continuing to the end. In addition to his other interests, Mr. Seaman found time to devote his abilities to Clinton business and civic life. He served many years as a vice president of the City National bank, 15 years as a member of the Clinton district board of education, was a co-organizer and past chairman of the board of Clinton park commissioners and had been a member of the city council. While chairman of the park board he was a moving force behind purchase of the land now occupied by Riverview park and during his term the original River Front park, between Fourth and Sixth avenues South, was built. While a member of the city council he advocated Clinton's first paid fire department. Mr. Seaman was secretary of the Iowa World's fair commission when that exposition was held in 1893 in Chicago. He also was affiliated with the Inland Waterways Corp., and in 1940 was made a life member of the Mississippi Valley association. Mr. Seaman was president of the American Mining Congress two years and was regarded as a national authority on mines and mining. He also was a life member of the Union League club of Chicago and lived there 20 years while he maintained a Chicago office. When the country entered into an era of railroad expansion in the late Nineteenth and the early years of the Twentieth century, it found Mr. Seaman in the midst of the construction program. He was active in the development of the Ozark and Cherokee Central, the Muskogee Southern, Lorain and West Virginia, Tremont and Gulf, Minneapolis and Rainy River, Manistee and Grand Rapids, Gary and Southern Traction Co., Groveton Lupkin and Northern and the Davenport, Rock Island and North Western railways. He also participated as a civil engineer in the construction of many other lines in the middle west and southwest. Mr. Seaman's anecdotes of experiences in railroad construction were highly interesting and gave the listener a deep insight into that stage of the nation's period of growth. In later years Mr. Seaman turned his attention to the development of the nation's inland waterways and through him many writings and extensive knowledge of the subject came to be regarded as an outstanding American authority. Long an advocate of a controlled nine-foot channel on the Upper Mississippi river, he lived to see its completion and utilization as an important part of the nation's transportation system. Many of the predictions made by Mr. Seaman regarding development of the Mississippi and the traffic it would carry came to pass two or three years before his death. He was a member of the executive committee of Mississippi Valley association and of the Upper Mississippi Waterways association. He was editorial advisor and honorary member of Clinton chapter of the Citizens' Historical society and also was a member of the Iowa State Historical society. Mr. Seaman was the oldest past master of Emulation lodge, 255, A.F. & A.M., and also was a member of DeMolay consistory, A.A.S.R. Masons, and the Clinton Engineers' club. Highly regarded because of his fund of authoritative information concerning the Mississippi river from its so-called "palmy days" to the present, Mr. Seaman frequently was called upon for advice by the Rock Island district of U.S. army engineers and members of that staff frequently were guests in his hospitable home. No gathering of waterways boosters was complete without him. He gave addresses at the dedication of Dam 11 at Dubuque, Dam 12 at Bellevue and Dam 13 at Clinton and participated in dedication ceremonies at other points. After construction of Lock and Dam 13 was begun in 1935, Mr. Seaman was the guest of honor at a dinner given by friends in the Clinton Country club in recognition of the work he had done in behalf of the project. Likewise, when a dedicatory dinner was held last spring after the new Clinton municipal river terminal was placed in service, Mr. Seaman was accorded a place of honor on the program and was lauded by officials of the Inland Waterways Corp., who were present. Although his life was crammed with activity and his interests were astonishingly wide, Mr. Seaman always claimed his hobbies were "good government and the building-up of the Mississippi river as a transportation agency."