Seaborn Reese

Seaborn Reese (November 28, 1846 – March 1, 1907) was an American politician, jurist, and lawyer who represented Georgia in the United States House of Representatives and held a series of important legal and judicial posts in his home state. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms in Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and representing the interests of his constituents in the post-Reconstruction era.

Reese was born on November 28, 1846, in Madison, Morgan County, Georgia. He was educated in local schools and later attended the University of Georgia in Athens. He pursued a classical course of study and advanced to his senior year, but left the university in 1868 before graduating. Following his departure from the University of Georgia, he turned to the study of law, preparing for a career in the legal profession that would underpin his later political and judicial service.

After completing his legal studies, Reese was admitted to the Georgia state bar in 1871. He began the practice of law in his native Madison, establishing himself as an attorney in the years immediately following Reconstruction. Seeking broader professional opportunities, he subsequently moved first to Augusta and then to Sparta, Georgia, where he continued his legal practice. His work as a lawyer in these communities helped build the reputation that led to his entry into elective office.

Reese’s political career began in the Georgia General Assembly. He was elected as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and served in that body from 1872 through 1874. In this role, he participated in the reorganization of state government and law in the aftermath of the Civil War. His legal expertise led to further responsibilities, and from 1877 to 1880 he served as solicitor general of Georgia’s northern judicial circuit, acting as a principal prosecuting attorney for that region and gaining extensive experience in the administration of criminal justice.

In 1882, Reese entered national politics. Running as a Democrat, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alexander H. Stephens, who had left Congress to become governor of Georgia. Reese took his seat in the 47th Congress on December 4, 1882. He was subsequently reelected to the 48th and 49th Congresses, serving continuously from December 4, 1882, until March 3, 1887. During his three terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process as a Democratic representative from Georgia, participating in debates and votes on issues affecting both his state and the nation during a period marked by economic development, sectional reconciliation, and the entrenchment of the post-Reconstruction political order in the South.

After concluding his congressional service in March 1887, Reese returned to Georgia and resumed his legal career. His experience in both state and national government led to his appointment and subsequent service as judge of the northern judicial circuit of Georgia, a position he held from 1893 to 1900. In this judicial capacity, he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters, further solidifying his standing as a leading legal figure in the state and contributing to the development and enforcement of Georgia law at the turn of the twentieth century.

In his later years, Reese continued to reside in Sparta, Georgia, where he had long maintained his home and professional base. He remained a respected figure in legal and political circles until his death in Sparta on March 1, 1907. Seaborn Reese was buried in the Methodist Church Cemetery in Sparta, closing a career that spanned service as a state legislator, prosecuting attorney, member of Congress, and circuit judge, and that reflected the political and legal evolution of Georgia in the decades following the Civil War.