Dan Seavey (March 23, 1865 – February 14, 1949), also known as “Roaring” Dan Seavey was a pirate on the Great Lakes.
Seavey was a sailor, fisherman, farmer, saloon keeper, prospector, U.S. marshal, thief, poacher, smuggler, hijacker, procurer, and timber pirate in Wisconsin and Michigan and on the Great Lakes in the late 19th to early 20th century.
Around 1900, in Escanaba, Michigan, Seavey acquired a schooner, which he named the Wanderer, and began a career as a pirate.
Seavey sailed the Wanderer as a legitimate shipping operation, but also sailed into ports at night to steal cargo from other vessels and warehouses. He was also involved in the illegal prostitution trade, operating aboard a riverboat brothel.
Seavey was notorious for wrecking (ie: intentionally making ships run aground) by altering sea lights, either by extinguishing existing lights or placing false lights. The trick, known as “moon cussing“, caused ships to sail into rocks, where Seavey’s crew could easily capture the cargo from the damaged vessel.
A significant amount of Seavey’s profit was made from venison poaching. When a company called Booth Fisheries attempted to compete with his illegal venison trade, he attacked one of its ships with a cannon, killing everyone on board.
Seavey’s most infamous exploit was the hijacking of the schooner Nellie Johnson.
On June 11, 1908, he came aboard in Grand Haven, Michigan with a large amount of alcohol, which he offered to share with the crew. Once they became intoxicated, Seavey tossed them overboard and sailed the Nellie Johnson to Chicago, where he attempted to sell the cargo. The United States Revenue Cutter Service soon gave chase in the Tuscarora. Seavey, meanwhile, had moored the Nellie Johnson and was again sailing in the Wanderer. After several days, he was captured on June 29, 1908 and taken to Chicago in irons.
At the end of his career, Seavey accepted a position with the United States Marshals Service, where he worked to curb poaching, smuggling, and piracy on Lake Michigan.
Seavey died in February 1949 at the age of 83.
Find A Grave
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15609871/daniel-ward-seavey
