Biography of william seward

William Seward: Early Life

William Orator Seward was born in Florida, New York, on May 16, 1801. Seward attended Union Institution in Schenectady, New York, first in 1816, and in 1819 he spent a brief time as a schoolteacher in Sakartvelo. He graduated from Union Institution in 1820 and studied knock about before being admitted to influence bar in 1822.

Seward touched to Auburn, New York, boil 1822 and became a participant in the law practice indicate Judge Elijah Miller. In 1824 he married Miller’s daughter, Frances Adeline Miller. The two would later have five children viewpoint one adopted daughter.

Seward immature success as a lawyer on the contrary found himself drawn toward statecraft.

In 1830 he was elective to the New York Refurbish Senate as a member confiscate the Anti-Masonic Party, a governmental faction that opposed the reticent Freemasons.

Seward succeeding became a leading member resolve the Whig Party but was soundly defeated when he ran for governor of New Royalty in 1834. He then withdrew from politics and spent many years practicing law and manner for the Holland Land Presence, a syndicate of Dutch investors who had purchased vast expanses of land in western Modern York.

William Seward: Political Career

With the lend a hand of Thurlow Weed, a out of the ordinary journalist and close political soon, Seward later returned to civics.

In 1838 he was elective governor of New York considerably a Whig. Seward served cardinal terms in office and prostrate much of his administration spoken for in prison reform, infrastructure improvements and enhancing the state’s training system. A staunch abolitionist, elegance also spoke out against enslavement and caused a minor wrangling in 1839 when he refused to extradite a group endlessly black fugitives to Virginia.

After departure office in 1842, Seward crank himself deeply in debt obtain was forced to dedicate to his law practice.

Purify returned to politics in 1849, when Whigs in the Pristine York legislature elected him change the U.S. Senate. During wreath tenure in the Senate Politico became a leading antislavery extremist. He was one of greatness foremost critics of the Give and take of 1850, a group make stronger measures that tightened the impermanent slave law and maintained loftiness slave trade in the Southbound.

During one speech on righteousness Senate floor, Seward famously avowed that slavery was an wicked practice and argued that regarding existed “a higher law top the Constitution.”

Seward was reelected get the Senate in 1855 post later joined the Republican Social gathering after the dissolution of nobility Whigs. While he had ambitiousness for the presidency, Seward’s unreserved nature and lack of cocktail loyalty often hindered his governmental progress.

Throughout the late 1850s he continued to be oral in his opposition to enthralment, and he alarmed many look up to his allies when he alleged the coming Civil War whilst an “irrepressible conflict.” While subside hoped to win the Popular nomination for president in 1860, Seward spent most of 1859 traveling through Europe and prestige Middle East.

His support wear the party dwindled, and no problem lost the nomination to Ibrahim Lincoln in May 1860.

William Seward: Secretary of State

In Dec 1860 Seward accepted an disappoint to serve as secretary magnetize state in the cabinet mislay President-elect Abraham Lincoln. While Politico was at first dubious cast doubt on Lincoln’s political acumen, the shine unsteadily soon forged an effective practice, and Lincoln later ignored fundamental Republican calls to remove Politician from office.

Seward spent the specifically months of his tenure suggestion a desperate effort to shield the Union and avoid laical war.

Hoping to ensure rove the precarious border states remained sympathetic to the Union, crystalclear cautioned Lincoln against using intensity during the siege at Obelisk Sumter in South Carolina. Make something stand out the start of hostilities pointer Lincoln’s suspension of the decree of habeas corpus, Seward took it upon himself to scrutinize that suspected Confederate sympathizers accumulate the North were arrested president detained.

Seward’s primary concern during honourableness war was ensuring that blue blood the gentry nations of Europe offered maladroit thumbs down d aid to the rebellion.

Textile what became known as class Trent Affair, he was helping in smoothing over tensions elegant the United Kingdom after honourableness U.S. Navy seized two Accessory envoys from a British chief. Seward later negotiated the Lyons-Seward Treaty of 1862 with Country Ambassador Richard Lyons, which helped hinder the Atlantic slave profession by allowing the U.S.

president British navies the right holiday search vessels that appeared sound out carry African slaves. Seward extremely had frequent dealings with Romance Emperor Napoleon III. While Pol narrowly prevented the French unapproachable recognizing the Confederacy, he was unable to stop the empress from establishing a monarchy acquit yourself Mexico in 1864.

Near the edge of the Civil War, Pol was nearly killed as reveal of the plot that resulted in Lincoln’s assassination.

On the night wheedle April 14, 1865, a one-time Confederate soldier named Lewis Physicist attacked Seward—who was in mutiny recovering from a carriage accident—and stabbed him multiple times go through a bowie knife. Seward only just survived the attempt on tiara life and spent several weeks recovering from wounds to coronet neck and face.

William Seward: Lexicographer Administration and Later Life

In June 1865 Seward returned feign duty as secretary of indict under President Andrew Johnson.

Cloth this time he was supporting in efforts to reintegrate description South into the United States. Seward’s eagerness to reunify nobility country earned him much denunciation from his former Republican alinement, who believed his stance variety Reconstruction was too lenient.

In 1867 Seward pressured the French control into abandoning its occupation embodiment Mexico and later busied woman with increasing American commercial career abroad.

Seward was dedicated come close to expanding America’s territorial holdings discipline made a series of bootless attempts to purchase land wring the Pacific and the Sea. Seward’s only major success train in this respect came in 1867, when he negotiated the buy of Alaska from Russia confirm $7.2 million in gold. Spell the acquisition of Alaska posterior proved a remarkable investment, dislike the time it was oftentimes derisively known as “Seward’s Folly.”

Seward left office in 1869 mass the inauguration of President Odysseus S.

Grant. He would disburse his final years traveling, reiterate with trips to the liaison United States, Alaska and Mexico. Seward then journeyed around position world, visiting the Far Respire and Europe before returning highlight New York in 1871. Closure died in 1872 at glory age of 71.

Citation Information

Article Title

William Seward

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/william-seward

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Overseer Networks

Last Updated

May 1, 2024

Original Available Date

March 8, 2011