Seymour, in Day of Ceremony, Takes Oath as U.S. Senator

Republican John Seymour of Anaheim was sworn in Thursday as U.S. senator from California and spent much of his first day listening to debate on a proposal to authorize President Bush to drive Iraqi military forces from Kuwait.

Seymour, 53, appointed to the post by Gov. Pete Wilson, said he supports President Bush’s position on expelling Iraq by force if the troops have not left Kuwait by Jan. 15. Seymour’s office said he would issue a detailed statement on the Persian Gulf today.

Seymour also is likely to receive his committee appointments today. He is expected to be appointed to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Agriculture Committee.

Otherwise, Thursday was primarily a day of ceremony for the nation’s newest senator, who served eight years as a state senator from Orange County before accepting the post vacated by Wilson when he became governor.

Seymour, a millionaire real estate developer and friend of Wilson, took the oath of office from Vice President Dan Quayle, the president of the Senate, in the Senate chamber at 10 a.m. Fellow senators stood and applauded as Seymour signed the official Senate roll. The audience also included Seymour’s wife, Judy, five of their six children, his parents and about 15 other relatives.

Seymour and Quayle, a former senator from Indiana, repeated the ceremony in the old Senate chamber later for photographers. They then went to the White House for a five-minute meeting with Bush and White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, Seymour aides said.

“Bush welcomed him and they discussed the Persian Gulf briefly, and then he had his picture taken with the President,” said Linda Schuler, who was Wilson’s press aide and is working for Seymour for the time being.

After the White House session, Seymour returned to Capitol Hill for a coffee-and-doughnut reception in his office, No. 719 in the Hart Senate Office Building.

In the evening, the new senator attended a reception for himself and his family.

Now 100th out of 100 in Senate seniority, Seymour will hold his seat through 1992. In 1992, he will seek election to the remainder of Wilson’s term, running through 1994. Wilson was reelected to a second six-year Senate term in 1988.