Clark Chester Seely
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: September 16, 1886
Date of Death: February 5, 1920
Birth Place: Detroit, MI
Death Place: Detroit, MI
CLARK CHESTER SEELY. Claimed by death ere he had scarcely reached his prime, Clark Chester Seely will be remembered for years to come by his many friends, owing to the high place which he had won in the regard of all with whom he had come into contact. Already he had made for himself a creditable position in professional circles as a member of the law firm of Millis, Griffin, Seely & Streeter of Detroit. He was born September 16, 1886, in the city which always remained his home, being a son of John A. Seely, who came to Detroit as a boy with his parents, his father, William Seely, being a native of Germany. John A. Seely was deputy county clerk of Wayne county from 1893 until January 1, 1917, and thus was a well known and prominent figure in the public life of this section of the state. In 1885, in Monroe, Michigan, he married Carrie G. Fassnacht, with whom he traveled life’s journey for a third of a century, being then separated by the death of the husband on the 28th of March, 1918. Mrs. Seely survives and is living in Detroit.
Clark Chester Seely pursued his education in the public schools of this city and later entered the Detroit College of Law, in which he won the LL. B. degree upon graduation with the class of 1909. On the 1st of July, 1913, he became a member of the law firm of Millis, Seely & Streeter and practiced in that connection until his demise. For ten years he was lecturer in the Detroit Institute of Technology, lecturing upon law, and for a time he was also one of the lecturers in the Detroit College of Law. During his last three years he was attorney for the Detroit United Railway and also taught law at the Young Men’s Christian Association.
On the 31st of December, 1910, in Detroit, Mr. Seely was married to Miss Jeannette Hirsemann, a daughter of August F. Hirsemann, and they became parents of two children: Clark Chester, Jr., and Iris Jeannette. The religious faith of Mr. Seely was indicated in his membership in St. Matthew’s Evangelical church. He was a supporter of the republican party, with which he had been identified since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he served on the legal advisory board during America’s connection with the World war and was also one of the Four-Minute men, doing active work in educating the public concerning war conditions. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and along professional lines he had connection with the Lawyers Club and with the Detroit Bar Association. Mr. Seely died of pneumonia on the 5th of February, 1920. His entire life was passed in Detroit and no further commentary is needed concerning his career than to state that some of his staunchest friends were those who had known him from his boyhood. He had many attractive social qualities. To the keen intellect with which nature had endowed him he added an appreciation for the good qualities in others that was expressed in an unfeigned cordiality, and his sterling worth was recognized by all with whom he came into contact.
Page 173-174“The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922,” by Clarence Monroe Burton, published S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., Detroit, 1922.
