Meet La Vernia’s Henry P. Seidemann

— ‘think tank’ member, public servant, government advisor


COURTESY PHOTO
Henry Peter Seidemann (1883–1954)

On Massachusetts Avenue N.W. in Washington D.C., clustered between Thomas Circle and Dupont Circle, is a group of unique institutions. Referred to as “think tanks,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Brookings Institution, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies have advised Presidents, Congress and foreign governments on shaping policy during the 20th century. Think tanks are comprised of men and women with special expertise, education, or experience who spend their time advising governments on how to create policy and how to govern.

One might wonder, who are these thinkers; where do they come from? It seems one of them came from Lavernia (which is now La Vernia), Wilson County, Texas.

In 1880, William Seidemann and his wife Julia were living in Lavernia with two children. William made his living as a butcher and wheelwright; his neighbors were the potter George Suttles and Hugh Wiseman. On April 4, 1883, in Lavernia, a son, Henry Peter, was born to William and Julia.
Henry Peter Seidemann, son of a Lavernia butcher, traveled a path that led from Wilson County, Texas, to Washington, D.C., and along the way influenced Presidents, Congress, and nations and touched the life of many Americans.

COURTESY PHOTO
H. P. Seidemann (from left), Charles S. Cheston, Dwight F. Davis, and William O. Hotchkiss. Governments, businesses, and scholars sought Seidemann’s advice regarding fiscal matters.

The last half of the 1890s was a turbulent time for the U.S. and for young Henry. In 1895, his father William died in San Antonio. For the U.S., the brief Spanish American War began and ended in 1898 with the U.S. acquiring Cuba, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. In 1900, 17-year-old Henry Seidemann began his work as a civil servant in Puerto Rico as a messenger for the paymaster of the Headquarters Department of Puerto Rico. By 1903, he was working for the Department of the Interior, in Bayamon County, Puerto Rico.

Between 1905 and 1907, he worked for the Department of the Interior as Chief Clerk and Accountant and Special Dispatch Agent, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The project created the Bell Fourche dam, reservoir, and canals northeast of the Black Hills.

From 1907 to Sept. 24, 1916, Henry Seidemann was headquartered in Washington, D.C., where he served successively as cost keeper, assistant chief accountant and fiscal inspector, chief accountant and assistant to the comptroller, and chief clerk and accountant in supervisory charge of fiscal and clerical matters. On Sept. 25, 1916, he was furloughed to join the staff of the Institute for Government Research (one of the earliest think tanks), an association cooperating with public officials in the scientific study of business methods with a view to promoting efficiency in government.

On July 1, 1917, he was granted an indefinite leave of absence by the institute to accept the position of assistant treasurer of the American Red Cross, with the duty of re-organizing the financial methods, procedures, and personnel of the treasurer’s department. On Jan. 1, 1918, during the hostilities of World War I, Henry was designated by the Red Cross as the Specialist in Foreign Accounts. As the Special Representative of the Comptroller of the Red Cross, he was tasked to study the problems of accounting abroad and coordinate the accounting work of the Red Cross abroad with the methods of the Washington office. He traveled throughout Europe and was in Paris during its bombardment in 1918.

On Sept. 21, 1921, Henry married Mabel Lyman in Washington, D. C.

LA VERNIA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
World War II U.S. Draft Registration card of Henry Peter Seidemann, born in La Vernia. From the National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the District of Columbia; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 061.

In 1924, he was Chief Consulting Accountant to the Bureau of Governmental Research, installing for the territory of Hawaii a budget system similar to that of the United States.

In 1932-33, he served as Treasurer and sat on the Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution, in Washington, D.C.

On Nov. 1, 1935, Henry was appointed Coordinator of the Social Security Board, Washington, D.C. On Sept. 5, 1936, newspapers reported: “Henry P. Seidemann of Lavernia, Texas was appointed today as director of the Bureau of Federal Old-Age Benefits of the Social Security Board, succeeding Murray W. Latimer …”

After the attack on Pearl Harbor [Dec. 7, 1941], the U.S. Army required the direct enlistment of large numbers of experienced specialists, many whose age and physical fitness would not meet the standard Army requirements. To oversee the replacement of critical active-duty personnel with civilian specialists, H.P. Seidemann was appointed to the four-man leadership team of the Army Specialists Corps.

Throughout his life, H.P. Seidemann’s advice and counsel regarding fiscal matters was sought by governments, businesses, and scholars. His thoughts and advice are recorded in the Congressional Record and in countless papers he authored.

His obituary on May 6, 1954, read: “Henry P. Seidemann, 71, who helped organize the federal Budget Bureau and set up national budget procedures and who began his government career in 1910 as chief fiscal inspector for the Reclamation Service, died yesterday.”

Henry Peter Seidemann was buried in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Va.

This article was written by local historians Allen and Regina Kosub for the La Vernia Historical Association and is reprinted with permission here. The Kosubs have worked with communities and historical organizations to reveal important properties for designation by the Texas Historical Commission as “historic properties.” Find more of their work at losttexasroads.com .


Learn about La Vernia!

Learn more about Henry P. Seidemann, the Suttles Pottery, and a wealth of La Vernia and area history, courtesy of the La Vernia Historical Association, which continues to work to collect, preserve, and honor local history.

The La Vernia Heritage Museum, operated by the association, is temporarily closed due to coronavirus concerns. However, self-guided tours of La Vernia’s historic Chihuahua Street can be downloaded from the website.

Visit LaVerniaHistory.com for the tour guide, and to learn more about La Vernia!