Walter Hoff Seely, World War veteran, newspaperman and publisher, died at his home, 680 Chester road, Swarthmore, last night. He was 63 years old.
He was born at Middletown N.J., October 24, 1873, and was the son of Colonel Uriah and Nancy Hopping Seely. After completing his education in the public schools he was graduated from Colgate Academy and Rutgers College.
On December 10, 1910, he was married to Miss Blanche Stoddard, of Spokane, Washington.
He entered newspaper work in 1895 with the Springfield Republican, of Springfield, Mass, which position he relinquished in 1896 to become a member of the Press in Philadelphia, where he was a writer until 900, when he went to Newark, N.J., where he became managing editor and editor-in-chief of the Evening News, which position he held until 1902.
His next position was staff correspondent and a member of the advertising staff of the New York World from 1902 to 1905. He resigned his position with the New York World to become assistant to the president and agency director of the Pacific Mutual Like Insurance Company, San Francisco, and resigned in 1908 to become a free lance editorial writer and lecturer.
In 1922 he became publisher of the magazine Success, succeeding Orion Sweet Marden as editor in 1923. He resigned in 1926 to become assistant to the president of the Hollywood, Florida, Land and Water Company. He was the first city manager of Hollywood, Fla., in 1926. He was also chairman of the Republican State Convention in Florida. He again entered newspaper work and was a free lance writer for a time.
When the United States entered the World War in 1917 he enlisted and served in the Intelligence Service both in America and in Europe.
After the Florida land boom he returned to Swarthmore and later he started a weekly paper which he published for a short time. Some years ago, he was badly injured in an automobile accident which forced his retirement.
He was a member of the S.A.R., Selgrave Institute, Rutgers Alumni Association, a life member of the Izaak Walton League, Delta Upsilon, Masons, and was an Episcopalian, and a Republican in politics. His clubs were New York, Aldine, National Arts, Town Hall, New York; Union League, San Francisco; Lake Shore Athletic, Chicago, Ill., and Alta, Salt Lake City, Utah.
His survivors are his widow, Mrs. Blanch Stoddard Seely, a former actress, and two daughters, Nancy and Jane, who was graduated from Swarthmore High School last week.
Memorial services will be held at the Friends’ Meeting House, Swarthmore, on Friday afternoon.
Published in the Chester Times, (Chester, PA) Wednesday June 24, 1936 page 2
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