Background
He was born on January 1, 1885 in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, the son of Thomas Day Seymour, a classics professor, and of Sarah Hitchcock.
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Excerpt from Electoral Reform in England and Wales: The Development and Operation of the Parliamentary Franchise, 1832-1885 The difficulty of tracing such changes in a single vol ume has not been small, and I wish to express my deep gratitude to those who have given their assistance. The kindly and inspiring advice and supervision Of Professor W. C. Abbott is largely accountable for the gathering of material into a doctoral dissertation, much of which has been included in the present volume. My thanks are also due especially to Professors C. M. Andrews, Allen J ohn son, H. S. Canby, and S. B. Hemingway, who have read parts Of the manuscript and Offered many valuable sug gestions and criticisms. I am also indebted for constant and untiring assistance to Mr. E. Byrne Hackett and his assistants of the Yale Press, to the authorities of the Yale University Library, as well as to the authorities Of the British Museum and of the Columbia University and New York Public Libraries. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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He was born on January 1, 1885 in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, the son of Thomas Day Seymour, a classics professor, and of Sarah Hitchcock.
After graduating from Hillhouse High School in New Haven, he studied in England at Kings College, Cambridge University, which awarded him a B. A. in modern history in 1904. He then entered Yale College and graduated with a B. A. in 1908. The same year he returned to Cambridge and the following year received an M. A. Subsequent studies at Yale led to a Ph. D. in history in 1911.
Seymour's professional career was tied closely to Yale. He joined the faculty in 1911, became assistant professor four years later, and was promoted to professor in 1918.
By that time he had published several significant books. In 1917 Colonel Edward M. House, President Woodrow Wilson's closest adviser, invited him to join the Inquiry, a group of "experts" whose duty it was to prepare background information for the forthcoming peace conference. The following year he served briefly with the State Department.
When the war ended, Seymour accompanied President Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference, where he served as chief of the Austro-Hungarian division of the American commission to negotiate peace and as United States delegate on the Rumanian, Yugoslavian, and Czechoslovakian territorial commissions. Seymour's Letters from the Paris Peace Conference (1965) give valuable information and an astute analysis of the conference and its work. Convinced that concessions would lead to increased difficulties, he deplored Wilson's failure to stand firmly by the principles enunciated in the Fourteen Points. In the late spring of 1919 Seymour and five other members of the American delegation sent a letter to the president protesting the contemplated accommodation of Italy on the Fiume question.
Following the peace conference, Seymour resumed teaching at Yale, concentrating his research and writing on the diplomatic history of the war and the efforts to establish a lasting peace. In 1922 he was appointed Sterling professor and chairman of the history department. The following year Colonel House deposited his papers at Yale and asked Seymour to become editor of his "memoirs. "
The first and second volumes of The Intimate Papers of Colonel House were published in 1926; the third and fourth volumes appeared two years later. In 1927 Seymour was appointed provost of Yale. Through skillful negotiations with Edward S. Harkness, a leading financial benefactor of the university, Seymour contributed to the realization of an ambitious building program. During this period he also wrote several books designed to correct misconceptions about American diplomacy during the war. Seymour became president of Yale in 1937.
After the United States entered World War II, Seymour mobilized the campus for war. Most students pursued studies connected with training programs of the army, navy, and air force, or engaged in specialized studies like the Military Intelligence Language Program. At the same time, Seymour accelerated academic programs for civilian students.
When the war was over, Seymour made provisions to accommodate large numbers of returning students. Overcrowding strained Yale's facilities, but Seymour insisted on maintaining a high quality of education. Before retiring in 1950 he completed reorganization of the university along divisional lines.
His last article was "The End of a Friendship" (American Heritage, August 1963).
As he aged, ill health increasingly interfered with his productive capacity. He died in Chatham, Massachussets.
His major contribution as the president of Yale was consolidation of the university's internal development. Charles Seymour expanded the curriculum, enhanced the liberal arts program and strengthened the faculty. Throughout his presidency Seymour made special efforts to induce prominent Americans in various fields to deposit their papers at Yale. Under his leadership Yale expanded its research facilities. He gave priority to his position as curator of the House papers. In addition to Seymour's influence on Yale, his national importance rests on his contribution as diplomatic historian, especially as interpreter of Colonel House. He maintained that House had exerted a major influence on President Wilson but as a "diplomatic tactician" rather than as an innovator of policies. His famous works: The Intimate Papers of Colonel House, American Diplomacy During the World War, What Really Happened in Paris: the story of the Peace Conference.
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Quotations: "We seek the truth and will endure the consequences. "
Seymour combined a keen intelligence with a pleasant, warm, and outgoing personality.
On May 4, 1911 he married Gladys Marion Watkins; they had three children. His son, Charles Seymour, Jr. , was a professor of art history at Yale.
