Arthur Sewall | |
|---|---|
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| President of theMaine Central Railroad | |
| In office 1884–1893 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1835-11-25)November 25, 1835 Bath, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 1900(1900-09-05) (aged 64) Small Point, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Emma Duncan Crocker |
| Children | 2, includingHarold |
| Parents |
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Arthur Sewall (November 25, 1835 – September 5, 1900) was an Americanshipbuilder fromMaine, best known as the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in1896,[1] running mate toWilliam Jennings Bryan. From 1888 to 1896, he served as a member of theDemocratic National Committee and unsuccessfully ran for Maine's Senate seat againstEugene Hale.[2] The only elective offices Sewall held were as councilman and alderman in the town of Bath, Maine.[2]
On November 25, 1835, Arthur Sewall was born to William and Rachel Sewall inBath, Maine. In 1892 Sewall launched theRoanoke, which at the time was the world's largest wooden ship.[3]
Following the death of his father, he and his brother led their successful and wealthy shipbuilding business, and he took complete control following his brother's death in 1879. He served as President of theMaine Central railroad from 1884 to 1893 and also served as President of the Bath National Bank.
He attended everyDemocratic National Convention between1872 and1900 with the exception of1876, though he was a strong admirer of theDemocratic Party's nominee for president that year,Samuel Tilden, and believed that the election was stolen from Tilden in1876. He was also defeated in a race for theU.S. Senate in 1893.[4]
In June 1895, he came out in support offree silver, and he took third place on the first ballot for vice president at the1896 Democratic National Convention behind RepresentativeJoseph C. Sibley and PublisherJohn R. McLean and after initially losing delegates on the second ballot rebounded and took the majority on the fifth ballot before being nominated by acclamation.[5] His selection is believed to have been an effort to win votes among conservative and New England members of the party who were disturbed by the populist aspects of William Jennings Bryan. He was in favor of high tariffs and almost imperialistic in foreign policy, so he and Bryan agreed largely only on the monetary question.[4] Arthur Sewall was also one of the few politicians who was an adherent ofSwedenborgiansm, a religion based on the writings ofSwedish theologianEmanuel Swedenborg.[6] His main vice-presidential opponent,Garret A. Hobart (Rep), was also an Eastern banker and industrialist who had served on his party's national committee. Sewall was Bryan's running mate forthe first of Bryan's three times as the Democratic presidential nominee.
On September 5, 1900, Sewall died inSmall Point, Maine, fromapoplexy. He is interred inOak Grove Cemetery in Bath, Maine. At the time of his death, he was worth $5,000,000 ($167,350,000 in 2022 dollars).[7]
Sewall's grandson,Sumner Sewall, served as Governor of Maine from 1941 to 1945, as a Republican.
In 2008, theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch referenced Sewall in an article criticizing SenatorJohn McCain's selection of Gov.Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate in the2008 presidential election, saying he had picked "the least qualified running mate since the Swedenborgian shipbuilder Arthur Sewall ran as William Jennings Bryan's No. 2 in 1896."[8]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democraticnominee forVice President of the United States 1896 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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