Fred Loring Seely
Encyclopedia
Fred Loring Seely was a newspaperman, chemist, inventor and philanthropist.
Born to Uriah and Nancy Hopping Seely, in Monmouth, New Jersey
, Fred Seely first worked for the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company and later became an executive for his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
's "Paris Medicine Company," a patent medicine
business based in Tennessee. In 1906, with Mr. Grove's financial backing, Seely founded the Atlanta Georgian
daily newspaper. He also took on many socially active causes, one of which was the exposure of chain-gang labor practices in Georgia. State prisoners were being rented out for fifty cents a week, and many of these inmates received poor treatment at the hands of their temporary employers. Seely used his newspaper as a pulpit to broadcast the abuses of the chain-gang labor system. He was instrumental in helping to terminate this form of modern slave labor in Georgia. Many of his advertisers, however, had profited by using the prison laborers, and these well-to-do clients of The Atlanta Georgian were furious with Seely for his activism in this cause. They subsequently dropped their support for his newspaper, and this precipitated the sale of the paper to Randolph Hearst in 1912. After this, Seely went to North Carolina
where in 1913 he built the Grove Park Inn
with his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
. In 1917, he purchased Biltmore Estate Industries from Edith Vanderbilt and changed the name to Biltmore Industries. The death of Mrs. Vanderbilt's husband and the great flood of the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers in 1916 (which submerged the original Biltmore Industries site) inspired the Vanderbilts to sell the enterprise. This small factory was primarily a home-spun wool weaving and woodworking business. Seely employed many deaf persons to work in his factory; two of his own siblings, in fact, were deaf. He also acted as the architect and builder of his home "Overlook" (sometimes called "Seely's Castle")on Sunset Mountain overlooking Asheville. After Seely's death in March of 1942 in Asheville, North Carolina
, his widow, Evelyn Grove Seely, moved to the Battery Park Hotel in downtown Asheville. In 1949 Mrs. Seely sold the expansive home to what would become Asheville-Biltmore College, the forerunner of what is now the University of North Carolina at Asheville
. The college operated at the Sunset Mountain castle site until 1961.
The relationship between Seely and his father-in-law, Edwin W. Grove, who would not sell him the Grove Park Inn, apparently was troubled from the start, and never improved. Writes Helen Wykle, who studied their relationship and wrote on the relationship between the two men:
"Seely managed the Grove Park Inn for his father-in-law for nearly 27 years but was unable to convince E.W. Grove to sell him the hotel. The resulting animosity between the two put a strain on their relationship and on Fred Seely's marriage to Grove's daughter Evelyn. Seely had come to Asheville to work with Grove as a chemist. Grove's Chill Tonic and other "medicinal" remedies made both Grove and Seely large fortunes, but it also made them bitter rivals. Grove's jealousy and his competitive nature were never overcome and Seely, talented and charming as he was, never was successful in charming or winning the affection of his father-in-law. The correspondence and the ensuing law-suit in which Seely sued Grove for breach of promise were bitter and futile engagements for Seely."
Grove died at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, N.C., on January 27, 1927. However, Seely continued his lawsuit against Grove's estate. The 1928 court case was heard in
St. Louis where Grove's Paris Medicine Company was based. The suit ended in 1928 when a presumed final will was found that purportedly proved that Grove had not promised Seely any special remuneration or ownership rights for his years of work for Paris Medicine Company and the Grove Park Inn.
As a result of Seely's failed lawsuit, Gertrude (Grove's second wife), their son
Eddie, Jr., and Evelyn Grove Seely (daughter from Grove's first marriage to
sweet Mary Louisa Moore Grove) became the will-decreed co-owners and beneficiaries of the trust income from the Grove Park Inn operations. Gertrude Grove subsequently sued for widow's rights (contrary to the prohibitive terms of Edwin Grove's will) to force the other parties to buy her out of the Grove Park Inn property. This successful suit resulted in the forced sale of the Grove Park Inn. When she died later in 1928 her son Eddie Jr., inherited her share of Paris Medicine Company and became owner of two thirds of Grove's estate. Evelyn Grove Seely retained ownership of one-third of the estate and the Battery Park Hotel and various properties which include Seely's Castle.
Fred Seely returned to Asheville after the failed lawsuit and contined his philanthropic works. He was instrumental in convincing Eerste Nederlandsche Kunzyd-fabriek Arnhem (E.N.K.A.) to build a new rayon fiber factory on vacant farmland adjacent to Hominy Creek in Buncombe County. This new factory, completed in a record time of one year (1928–1929), provided up to 5,000 new and steady-income jobs for the local workforce. E.N.K.A.'s factory produced rayon cord for tires that were used on equipment in Europe to help the Allies win World War II.
Seely also continued with his famous Biltmore Industries (located in the shadow of the immense Grove Park Inn) even as the Great Depression bore down on the U.S. economy.
Fred Loring Seely died March 14, 1942 at the age of 70. He is buried at Calvary Episcopal Church cemetery in Fletcher, N.C., along with his wife Evelyn (d. 1953), his second daughter Mary Louise Seely Beard (d. 1950), and his youngest son Fred Loring Seely, Jr. (d.1991).
Born to Uriah and Nancy Hopping Seely, in Monmouth, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Fred Seely first worked for the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company and later became an executive for his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove was a self-made millionaire most famous for his "Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic." In this chill tonic, which came out 1878, Grove found a way to bottle a quinine mixture that would eliminate the bitter taste...
's "Paris Medicine Company," a patent medicine
Patent medicine
Patent medicine refers to medical compounds of questionable effectiveness sold under a variety of names and labels. The term "patent medicine" is somewhat of a misnomer because, in most cases, although many of the products were trademarked, they were never patented...
business based in Tennessee. In 1906, with Mr. Grove's financial backing, Seely founded the Atlanta Georgian
Atlanta Georgian
The Atlanta Georgian was a daily afternoon newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded by New Jersey native, Fred Loring Seely, the first issue was April 25, 1906, with editor John Temple Graves. They mainly criticized saloons and the convict lease system. In February 1907, Seely expanded the paper by...
daily newspaper. He also took on many socially active causes, one of which was the exposure of chain-gang labor practices in Georgia. State prisoners were being rented out for fifty cents a week, and many of these inmates received poor treatment at the hands of their temporary employers. Seely used his newspaper as a pulpit to broadcast the abuses of the chain-gang labor system. He was instrumental in helping to terminate this form of modern slave labor in Georgia. Many of his advertisers, however, had profited by using the prison laborers, and these well-to-do clients of The Atlanta Georgian were furious with Seely for his activism in this cause. They subsequently dropped their support for his newspaper, and this precipitated the sale of the paper to Randolph Hearst in 1912. After this, Seely went to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where in 1913 he built the Grove Park Inn
Grove Park Inn
The Grove Park Inn is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville, North Carolina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style...
with his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove was a self-made millionaire most famous for his "Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic." In this chill tonic, which came out 1878, Grove found a way to bottle a quinine mixture that would eliminate the bitter taste...
. In 1917, he purchased Biltmore Estate Industries from Edith Vanderbilt and changed the name to Biltmore Industries. The death of Mrs. Vanderbilt's husband and the great flood of the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers in 1916 (which submerged the original Biltmore Industries site) inspired the Vanderbilts to sell the enterprise. This small factory was primarily a home-spun wool weaving and woodworking business. Seely employed many deaf persons to work in his factory; two of his own siblings, in fact, were deaf. He also acted as the architect and builder of his home "Overlook" (sometimes called "Seely's Castle")on Sunset Mountain overlooking Asheville. After Seely's death in March of 1942 in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, his widow, Evelyn Grove Seely, moved to the Battery Park Hotel in downtown Asheville. In 1949 Mrs. Seely sold the expansive home to what would become Asheville-Biltmore College, the forerunner of what is now the University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Asheville
The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university. The university is also known as UNC Asheville. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, UNCA is the only designated liberal arts institution in the University of North...
. The college operated at the Sunset Mountain castle site until 1961.
The relationship between Seely and his father-in-law, Edwin W. Grove, who would not sell him the Grove Park Inn, apparently was troubled from the start, and never improved. Writes Helen Wykle, who studied their relationship and wrote on the relationship between the two men:
"Seely managed the Grove Park Inn for his father-in-law for nearly 27 years but was unable to convince E.W. Grove to sell him the hotel. The resulting animosity between the two put a strain on their relationship and on Fred Seely's marriage to Grove's daughter Evelyn. Seely had come to Asheville to work with Grove as a chemist. Grove's Chill Tonic and other "medicinal" remedies made both Grove and Seely large fortunes, but it also made them bitter rivals. Grove's jealousy and his competitive nature were never overcome and Seely, talented and charming as he was, never was successful in charming or winning the affection of his father-in-law. The correspondence and the ensuing law-suit in which Seely sued Grove for breach of promise were bitter and futile engagements for Seely."
Grove died at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, N.C., on January 27, 1927. However, Seely continued his lawsuit against Grove's estate. The 1928 court case was heard in
St. Louis where Grove's Paris Medicine Company was based. The suit ended in 1928 when a presumed final will was found that purportedly proved that Grove had not promised Seely any special remuneration or ownership rights for his years of work for Paris Medicine Company and the Grove Park Inn.
As a result of Seely's failed lawsuit, Gertrude (Grove's second wife), their son
Eddie, Jr., and Evelyn Grove Seely (daughter from Grove's first marriage to
sweet Mary Louisa Moore Grove) became the will-decreed co-owners and beneficiaries of the trust income from the Grove Park Inn operations. Gertrude Grove subsequently sued for widow's rights (contrary to the prohibitive terms of Edwin Grove's will) to force the other parties to buy her out of the Grove Park Inn property. This successful suit resulted in the forced sale of the Grove Park Inn. When she died later in 1928 her son Eddie Jr., inherited her share of Paris Medicine Company and became owner of two thirds of Grove's estate. Evelyn Grove Seely retained ownership of one-third of the estate and the Battery Park Hotel and various properties which include Seely's Castle.
Fred Seely returned to Asheville after the failed lawsuit and contined his philanthropic works. He was instrumental in convincing Eerste Nederlandsche Kunzyd-fabriek Arnhem (E.N.K.A.) to build a new rayon fiber factory on vacant farmland adjacent to Hominy Creek in Buncombe County. This new factory, completed in a record time of one year (1928–1929), provided up to 5,000 new and steady-income jobs for the local workforce. E.N.K.A.'s factory produced rayon cord for tires that were used on equipment in Europe to help the Allies win World War II.
Seely also continued with his famous Biltmore Industries (located in the shadow of the immense Grove Park Inn) even as the Great Depression bore down on the U.S. economy.
Fred Loring Seely died March 14, 1942 at the age of 70. He is buried at Calvary Episcopal Church cemetery in Fletcher, N.C., along with his wife Evelyn (d. 1953), his second daughter Mary Louise Seely Beard (d. 1950), and his youngest son Fred Loring Seely, Jr. (d.1991).