[33] As it was thought improper for candidates for major office to campaign in person, Seward left most of that to Weed. No. This caused strained relations between the UK and the U.S.[138][139][140][141][142], From the start of the war until early 1862, when responsibility was passed to the War Department, Seward was in charge of determining who should be detained without charges or trial. [106], The usual tradition was for the leading figure of the winning party to be offered the position of Secretary of State, the most senior Cabinet post. This page was last edited on 23 June 2023, at 01:43. Although the Van Buren administration had agreed with Seward that McLeod should be tried under state law, its successor did not and urged that charges against McLeod be dropped. William H. Seward (1801-1872): William H. Seward, an experienced politician, having already served as Governor and U.S. After the start of hostilities and Lincolns suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, Seward took it upon himself to see that suspected Confederate sympathizers in the North were arrested and detained. He hinted that New Mexico Territory might be a slave state, and urged the construction of two transcontinental railroads, one northern, one southern. [156], In January 1865, Francis Preston Blair, father of former Lincoln Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, went, with Lincoln's knowledge, to the Confederate capital of Richmond to propose to Davis that North and South unite to expel the French from their domination of Mexico. [201], Despite his being an ardent supporter of American expansionism during his time in the Cabinet, only Alaska was added to U.S. territory during Seward's service as Secretary of State. [5] He was a bright student who enjoyed his studies. Maternal deaths across the U.S. more than doubled over the course of two decades, and the tragedy unfolded unequally. Several factors, including attitudes to his vocal opposition to slavery, his support for immigrants and Catholics, and his association with editor and political boss Thurlow Weed, worked against him, and Abraham Lincoln secured the presidential nomination. Seward's strong stances and provocative words against slavery brought him hatred in the South. [104] On Election Day, Lincoln carried most Northern states, while Breckinridge took the Deep South, Bell three border states, and Douglas won Missourithe only state Seward campaigned in that Lincoln did not win. He also, in 1838, arranged the purchase of the company's holdings by a consortium that included himself. Seward was by then unpopular among many Republicans and opponents sought to prompt his replacement by making Lincoln's running mate former New York Democratic senator Daniel S. Dickinson; under the political customs of the time, one state could not hold two positions as prestigious as vice president and Secretary of State. McLeod was tried and acquitted in late 1841. William Seward (1801-1872) was a politician who served as governor of New York, as a U.S. senator and as secretary of state during the Civil War (1861-65). From Washington's Old Capitol Prison, the "Rebel Rose" provided newspaper interviews until she was allowed to cross into Confederate territory. What happened to Seward? Updated: August 21, 2018 | Original: March 8, 2011. [145], When Seward received allegations that former president Pierce was involved in a plot against the Union, he asked Pierce for an explanation. Administration forces turned back Dickinson's bid, nominating instead Military Governor of Tennessee Andrew Johnson, with whom Seward had served in the Senate. Seward attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, starting in 1816, and in 1819 he spent a brief period as a schoolteacher in Georgia. Then, Whig senator William H. Seward declared that slavery was incompatible with the assertion in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal," and proclaimed that slavery would be extinguished in the country. [182] The territory was a money loser, and the Russian-American Company itself allowed its charter to expire in 1861. The two major parties did not make slavery an issue in the campaign. In 1830, with Weed's aid, he gained the Anti-Masonic nomination for state senator for the local district. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Seward would not be surprised by these developments: he would be pleased. [125] Seward's biographers make the point that the note was sent to a Lincoln who had not yet proved himself in office. Asked if he had any final words, he said, "Love one another". Seward used strident language publicly but was privately conciliatory toward the French. Seward continued in President Andrew Johnson's Cabinet and is known for the "Seward's Folly" purchase of Alaska from Russia. [135] In November 1862, with America's image in Britain improved by the issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, the British cabinet decided against recognition of the Confederacy as a nation. Seward was elected to the New York State Senate in 1830 as an Anti-Mason. Secretary of State William Seward [92], Seward stayed in Auburn during the convention;[93] Weed was present on his behalf and worked to shore up Seward's support. Seward was determined to defeat what he called "this infamous Nebraska Bill," and worked to ensure the final version of the bill would be unpalatable to enough senators, North and South, to defeat it. With the help of Thurlow Weed, a prominent journalist and close political ally, Seward later returned to politics. The major event of Polk's administration was the MexicanAmerican War; Seward did not support this, feeling that the price in blood was not worth the increase in territory, especially as southerners were promoting this acquisition to expand territory for slavery. The Americans had recognized Jurez as the legitimate president and were not willing to consider this. [37], William Seward was sworn in as governor of New York on January 1, 1839, and inaugurated in front of a crowd of jubilant Whigs. When the election was held by the legislature in February 1855, Seward won a narrow majority in each house. He devised an expansionist bird poop law (that's still on the books). In 1838 he was elected governor of New York as a Whig. Seward advised Johnson to state, in his first annual message to Congress, that southern states meet three conditions for readmission to the Union: repeal of secession, repudiation of the war debt incurred by the rebel governments, and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. A series of testy letters were exchanged between Governor Seward and Harrison's Secretary of State Daniel Webster, and also between the governor and the new president John Tyler, who succeeded on Harrison's death after a month in office. Seward served two terms in office and spent much of his administration engaged in prison reform, infrastructure improvements and enhancing the states education system. In 1844, Seward was asked to run for president by members of the Liberty Party; he declined and reluctantly supported the Whig nominee, Clay. It does not appear in Lyon's reports to Lord Russell, and Lyons denied it in 1864. [98] On his way to Washington to return to Senate duties, he stopped in Albany to confer with Weed, who had gone to Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois, to meet with the candidate, and had been very impressed at Lincoln's political understanding. The Know Nothing Party was still alive in the Northeast, and was hostile to Seward for his pro-immigrant stance, creating doubts as to whether Seward could win Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where there were many nativists, in the general election. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their Auburn home as a safehouse to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Lincoln, of course, will always overshadow Seward. He had hoped to remain at home until the New Year, but with the deepening crisis left for Washington in time for the new session of Congress in early December. During the 1828 campaign, Seward made speeches in support of President Adams's re-election. Stevens sent the secretary a note of congratulations, predicting that the Alaska Purchase would be seen as one of Seward's greatest accomplishments. In both cases, the defendants were likely mentally ill and had been abused while in prison. In the meantime, Jurez, with the help of American military aid, was advancing through northeast Mexico. In 1880 he began working in his father's shop in St. Louis, Missouri, constructing models for castings and . [116], Lincoln arrived in Washington, unannounced and incognito, early on the morning of February 23, 1861. Seward was born in 1801 in the village of Florida, in Orange County, New York, where his father was a farmer and owned slaves. Seward did not attend the December 1839 Whig National Convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but Weed did on his behalf. William Henry Seward (1801-1872) had an incredible career that took him from the Governor's Mansion in Albany to the White House Cabinet Room. Lincoln was loath to give up Sumter, feeling it would only encourage the South in its insurgency. [57], The regular session of Congress that began in December 1849 was dominated by the issue of slavery. McLeod, who was part of the Canadian colonial militia, could not be held responsible for actions taken under orders. Spain and the British soon withdrew, but France remained. Seward wrote to his wife in June 1861, "Executive skill and vigor are rare qualities. He returned to politics in 1849, when Whigs in the New York legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate. Seward later became a leading member of the Whig Party but was soundly defeated when he ran for governor of New York in 1834. While Seward narrowly prevented the French from recognizing the Confederacy, he was unable to stop the emperor from establishing a monarchy in Mexico in 1864. "[176] Napoleon tried to postpone the French departure, but the Americans had General Phil Sheridan and an experienced combat army on the north bank of the Rio Grande and Seward held firm. [87] Seward returned to Washington in January 1860 to find controversy: that some southerners blamed him for his rhetoric, which they believed had inspired John Brown to try to start a slave insurrection. When Congress reconvened in December 1866, Seward caused a sensation by entering the chamber of the House of Representatives and sitting down with the administration's enemy, Congressman Stevens, persuading him to support an appropriation for more money to expedite the purchase of Saman, and sent his son Frederick to the Dominican Republic to negotiate a treaty. Seward also had frequent dealings with French Emperor Napoleon III. William Henry Seward: Another Victim of the Events of April 14, 1865 [113] Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, a radical, warned that if Lincoln, like Seward, ignored the Republican platform and tried to purchase peace through concessions, he would retire, as too old[a] to bear the years of warfare in the Republican Party that would result.[114]. [4] Florida, located some 60 miles (100km) north of New York City and west of the Hudson River, was a small rural village of perhaps a dozen homes. What did Seward do as Secretary of State? William H. Seward | American Battlefield Trust Lincoln's views on nativism, which he opposed, were not public. [19], Governor DeWitt Clinton had nominated Seward as Cayuga County Surrogate in late 1827 or early 1828, but as Seward was unwilling to support Jackson, he was not confirmed by the state Senate. [197] Daniel S. Crofts, in Seward's entry in the American National Biography argued, "Each Seward was, of course, a caricature, and both tendencies, at once symbiotic and contradictory, existed in tandem. 41-33 - George F. Robinson. Among those who came to their aid was local newspaper publisher Thurlow Weed. It is an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces, and it means that the United States must and will, sooner or later, become entirely either a slave-holding nation, or entirely a free-labor nation. As Lincoln had not been seen as a major candidate, his supporters had been able to influence the decision to hold the convention in his home state,[94] and surrounded the New York delegation, pro-Seward, with Lincoln loyalists. The Struggle Over the Meaning of the 14th Amendment Continues [38] At the time, New York City's public schools were run by Protestants, and used Protestant texts, including the King James Bible. At that time, the political system was in flux as new parties evolved. William H. Seward - Wikipedia Pres. That year, Seward and his wife undertook a lengthy trip, going as far south as Virginia. [157] After the conference broke up, Seward sent a bucket of champagne to the Confederates, conveyed by a black oarsman in a rowboat, and called to the southerners, "keep the champagne, but return the Negro. In one, Seward expounded upon the importance of the log cabina structure evoking the common man and a theme that the Whigs used heavily in Harrison's campaignwhere Seward had always found a far warmer welcome than in the marble palaces of the well-to-do (evoking Van Buren). To me, who was justly entitled to the Republican nomination for the presidency, and who had to stand aside and see it given to a little Illinois lawyer! Weed persuaded delegates to the convention that Seward had run ahead of other Whig candidates in 1834; Seward was nominated on the fourth ballot. He was one of the foremost critics of the Compromise of 1850, a group of measures that tightened the fugitive slave law and maintained the slave trade in the South. Near the close of the Civil War, Seward was nearly killed as part of the plot that resulted in Lincolns assassination. However, the area also shared a border with the most Eastern part of Russia. William Henry Seward | Seward House Museum [124] Lincoln drafted a reply indicating that whatever policy was adopted, "I must do it", though he never sent it, but met with Seward instead, and what passed between them is not known. [177], Although in speeches Seward had predicted all of North America joining the Union, he had, as a senator, opposed the Gadsden Purchase obtaining land from Mexico, and Buchanan's attempts to purchase Cuba from Spain. [178] The Union Navy had been hampered due to the lack of overseas bases during the war, and Seward also believed that American trade would be helped by the purchase of overseas territory. At Weed's advice, Seward was slow to formally accept, doing so on December 28, 1860, though well before Inauguration Day, March 4, 1861. He also accompanied his father Samuel Seward on a trip to Europe, where they met the political men of the day. Davis appointed commissioners (Vice President Alexander Stephens, former U.S. Supreme Court justice Campbell, and former Confederate Secretary of State Robert M. T. Hunter) to negotiate. Seward moved to Auburn, New York, in 1822 and became a partner in the law practice of Judge Elijah Miller. His contemporary Carl Schurz described Seward as "one of those spirits who sometimes will go ahead of public opinion instead of tamely following its footprints". "[158], John Wilkes Booth had originally planned to kidnap Lincoln, and recruited conspirators, including Lewis Powell, to help him. [10] He could have practiced in Goshen, but he disliked the town and sought a practice in growing Western New York. Other prominent Whigs also sought the nomination. Invitations to his soireswhich took place several times a week in the . Seward was that person, and around December 12, the vice president-elect, Maine Senator Hannibal Hamlin, offered Seward the position on Lincoln's behalf. With Seward's encouragement, the New York legislature passed acts in 1840 protecting the rights of blacks against Southern slave-catchers. Despite the benefits to Seward's career from Weed's support, perceptions that Seward was too much controlled by Weed became a factor in the former's defeat for the Republican nomination for president in 1860. Seward and his party allied with dissident Democrats and others to pass some legislation, including penal reform measures, for which Seward would become known. William Henry Seward was appointed Secretary of State by Abraham Lincoln on March 5, 1861, and served until March 4, 1869. Why the Purchase of Alaska Was Far From 'Folly' | HISTORY He would spend his final years traveling, beginning with trips to the western United States, Alaska and Mexico. Ultimately, Powell fled, stabbing a messenger, Emerick Hansell, as he went, only to find that Herold, panicked by the screams from the house, had left with both horses. En route, Wilson took a job at another school, leaving Seward to continue on to Eatonton in Putnam County. [15], Almost from the time he settled in Auburn, Seward involved himself in politics. William Henry Seward was appointed Secretary of State by Abraham Lincoln on March 5, 1861, and served until March 4, 1869. Weed, however, did not feel that the new party was strong enough on a national level to secure the presidency, and advised Seward to wait until 1860. The Regency (or the Democrats, as the national party led by Jackson and supported by Van Buren, was becoming known) controlled the Senate. Seward gave a major speech on the eve of the election, endorsing Grant, who was easily elected. Seward then journeyed around the world, visiting the Far East and Europe before returning to New York in 1871. The Republicans chose General Ulysses S. Grant, who had a hostile relationship with Johnson. [59], Although Clay had hoped the Compromise would be a final settlement on the matter of slavery that could unite the nation, it divided his Whig Party, especially when the 1852 Whig National Convention endorsed it to the anger of liberal northerners like Seward. After leaving office in 1842, Seward found himself deeply in debt and was forced to dedicate himself to his law practice. [112] He urged the preservation of the Union, and supported an amendment such as the one he had introduced, or a constitutional convention, once passions had cooled. Russian minister Baron Eduard de Stoeckl recommended the sale. Maternal deaths in the US more than doubled over two decades. Black Other events, such as the 1852 publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Northern anger over the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act (an element of the Compromise), widened the divide between North and South. Opposition referred to it as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox, as no value . Chase was impressed with Seward, writing that the former New York governor "was one of the very first public men in our country. He later studied law and soon became involved in politics. William Seward did not suddenly become interested in educa-tional matters. Cabinet and Vice Presidents: William H. Seward (1801-1872) The former governor was less enthusiastic about the vice-presidential candidate, New York State Comptroller Millard Fillmore, a rival of his from Buffalo. The Kentuckian was defeated by Democrat James K. Polk. Lincoln had worked hard to gain a reputation as a moderate in the party and hoped to be seen as a consensus second choice, who might be successful in those critical states, of which the Republicans had to win three to secure the election. Lincoln travelled without incident and came to regret his decision as he was widely mocked for it. Seward was at first recovering from his injuries, and Johnson was ill for a time in the summer of 1865. The legislation protected abolitionists, and he used his position to intervene in cases of freed black people who were enslaved in the South. If he were alive today, he would not be surprised to learn that many of the most famous Americans are first- or second-generation immigrants, or that New York City is the world's financial center, or that the headquarters of the World Bank and the Organization of American States are both in Washington. Nevertheless, the reluctance of others to run caused Seward to emerge as a major candidate. When the train passed through Springfield, Seward and Lincoln were introduced, with Lincoln appearing "embarrassed" and Seward "constrained". This Seward would not do, and the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation inhibiting trade with New York. "[55], The main Whig contenders in 1848 were Clay again, and two war hero generals with little political experience, Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. He encouraged immigration to the United States, always seeing immigration as a source of strength; he was prepared to back up words with arms; and he believed that Washington was the natural center for inter-American and international discussion. When sheriff's deputies in Albany County were obstructed from serving eviction writs, Seward was asked to call out the militia. Seward carefully managed international affairs during the Civil War and also negotiated the 1867 purchase of Alaska. Can the Queen of England do so much? [50], Seward continued his support of blacks, signing legislation in 1841 to repeal a "nine-month law" that allowed slaveholders to bring their slaves into the state for a period of nine months before they were considered free. [120] No reply or acknowledgment was made by Lincoln until after the inaugural ceremonies were over on March 4, when he asked Seward to remain. "[196], Seward's biographers suggested that there are two faces to Seward. [42] Accordingly, the 1839 legislative elections were crucial to Seward's legislative hopes, and to advancing the nominations of many Whigs to state office whose posts required Senate confirmation. In later years, one of the former family slaves would relate that instead of running away from school to go home, Seward would run away from home to go to school. Although both the U.S. and France urged Jurez against it, the deposed emperor was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867. [2] He was the fourth son of Samuel Sweezy Seward and his wife Mary (Jennings) Seward. One, "John Quincy Adams Seward", dreamed big dreams and tried to convey them in speeches, working to achieve education for all, a fair deal for immigrants, an end to slavery, and an expanded America. [105], Lincoln's election had been anticipated in Southern states, and South Carolina and other Deep South states began to call conventions for the purpose of secession. He passed the bar examination in late 1822. He was hanged on July 7, 1865, along with Herold, Atzerodt, and Surratt, convicted as conspirators in the Lincoln assassination. Pierce indignantly denied it. Napoleon feared that the large, battle-tested American army would be used against his troops. Another stop was in the Dominican Republic, where he opened talks to obtain Saman Bay. [191][192] William Seward rests with his wife Frances and daughter Fanny (18441866), in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn. After the Civil War, this was no longer an issue, and Seward became an ardent expansionist and even contemplated the purchase of Greenland and Iceland. They spent three months in India, then journeyed through the Middle East and Europe, not returning to Auburn until October 1871. All Rights Reserved. Johnson, hoping to appeal to both Republicans and Democrats, did not take the suggestion. His firm stance against foreign intervention in the Civil War helped deter the United Kingdom and France from recognizing the independence of the Confederate States. The Whigs argued that the Democrats were responsible for the recession. Pennsylvania shifted its vote to Lincoln on the second ballot, and Seward's lead was cut to 184 to 181. The younger Seward returned to Schenectady but soon left school in company with a fellow student, Alvah Wilson. "[147] Despite his initial reservations about Lincoln's abilities, he came to admire Lincoln as the president grew more confident in his job. Lincoln was re-elected in November; Seward sat with Lincoln and the assistant presidential secretary, John Hay, as the returns came in. On February 14, 1862, Lincoln ordered that responsibility for detentions be transferred to the War Department, ending Seward's part in them. Seward remained conciliatory, and in January 1866, Napoleon agreed to withdraw his troops after a twelve- to eighteen-month period, during which time Maximilian could consolidate his position against the insurgency led by Benito Jurez. [167] The Republican anger against Johnson extended to his Secretary of StateMaine Senator William P. Fessenden said of Johnson, "he began by meaning well, but I fear that Seward's evil counsels have carried him beyond the reach of salvation". (It should be remembered that the purchase of Alaska from Russia was not inevitable; the land had the same latitude as Siberia and was very difficult to farm, while neither gold nor oil nor any other important mineral was discovered there until years after Seward's death.) What was the main goal of William H. Seward? | Homework.Study.com [74] The issue was complicated by the Supreme Court's ruling the previous year in Dred Scott v. Sandford that neither Congress nor a local government could ban slavery in the territories.[75]. You speak to me of disappointment! The Democrats refused to co-operate with Governor Seward except on the most urgent matters, and he initially found himself unable to advance much of his agenda. Van Buren, over a quarter century, held a series of senior posts, generally in the federal government. [29] The following year, Seward accepted a position as agent for the new owners of the Holland Land Company, which owned large tracts of land in Western New York, upon which many settlers were purchasing real estate on installment. The two would later have five children and one adopted daughter. Two later accounts indicate that Seward felt that it was not yet time to issue it, and Lincoln did wait until after the bloody stalemate at Antietam that ended Confederate General Robert E. Lee's incursion into the North to issue it. Seward later negotiated the Lyons-Seward Treaty of 1862 with British Ambassador Richard Lyons, which helped hinder the Atlantic slave trade by allowing the U.S. and British navies the right to search vessels that appeared to carry African slaves. [191][192], Seward's reputation, controversial in life, remained so in death, dividing his contemporaries. Seward spent his early career as a. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was. McLeod was arrested, but the British Foreign Minister, Lord Palmerston, demanded his release. Fanny Seward later said that the next morning her mother "very gently" told him, "Henry, the President is gone." According to another report, on April 20, Seward . They were determined to support General Winfield Scott for president, but when Weed concluded Scott could not win, he threw New York's support behind the eventual winner, General William Henry Harrison. Conservative factions in the evolving Republican Party opposed Seward. [60], Seward's wife Frances was deeply committed to the abolitionist movement. [155], It was far from certain that Lincoln would even be nominated in 1864, let alone re-elected, as the tide of war, though generally favoring the North, washed back and forth. During one speech on the Senate floor, Seward famously stated that slavery was an immoral practice and argued that there existed a higher law than the Constitution.. Radical Republicans were not willing to make concessions to the South, and were angered by the speech. Many northerners were outraged, though some, including Seward, felt that Sumner's words against Butler had unnecessarily provoked the attack. One story is that when Seward was told that to deny Carl Schurz an office would disappoint him, Seward angrily stated, "Disappointment! Admitted to the sophomore class, Seward was an outstanding student and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. What did William seward do? - Answers He was re-elected to the Senate in 1855, and soon joined the nascent Republican Party, becoming one of its leading figures. [97] Seward was initially inclined to retire from public life but received many letters from supporters: distrustful of Lincoln, they urged Seward to remain involved in politics. Seward continued to serve as secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson and in 1867 negotiated the purchase of Alaska from the Russians. [194], Scholars of history have generally praised Seward for his work as Secretary of State; in 1973, Ernest N. Paolino deemed him "the one outstanding Secretary of State after John Quincy Adams". HIstory of the Alaska Purchase of 1867 | Britannica An ardent abolitionist, Seward later served as New Yorks 12th governor and then as a member of the U.S. Senate, where he established himself as a leading antislavery activist.