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William Henry Seward
Birth: 5-16-1801
Death: 10-10-1872
Nickname: Henry
RelationshipsChildrenSeward, Augustus Henry (AHS)
Seward, Frederick William (FWS)
Seward, Cornelia (CxS)
Seward, William Henry Jr. (WSJ)
Seward, Frances Adeline (FAS)
Biography
Seward studied law at Union College, graduating in 1820. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1821. In that same year, he met Frances Adeline Miller, a classmate of his sister Cornelia at Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary and the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller of Auburn, New York. In 1823, he moved to Auburn where he entered into law partnership with Judge Miller.
In the 1820s Seward entered the New York Militia. When a regiment including Seward's battalion was organized in 1829, he was selected to command the regiment and promoted to colonel. In 1832 Seward was promoted to brigadier general, and he served until 1835, when he declined a promotion to major general and resigned his commission.
Seward entered politics with the help of his friend Thurlow Weed, whom he had met by chance after a stagecoach accident.[14] Seward served as an Anti-Masonic member of the New York State Senate (7th D.) from 1831 to 1834, sitting in the 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th New York State Legislatures. In 1834, Seward was nominated as the Whig candidate for Governor of New York, but he lost the election to the incumbent Democrat William L. Marcy.
From 1836 to 1838, Seward served as agent for a group of investors who had purchased the over 3-million-acre (12,000 km2) western New York holdings of the Holland Land Company. He moved the land office from Mayville, NY to Westfield, New York, where he was successful in easing tensions between the investors and local landowners.In 1838, Seward again challenged Marcy, and this time was elected Governor of New York. He was narrowly re-elected to a second two-year term in 1840. As a state senator and governor, Seward promoted progressive political policies including prison reform and increased spending on education. He supported state funding for schools for immigrants operated by their own clergy and taught in their native language. This support, which included Catholic parochial schools, came back to haunt him in the 1850s, when anti-Catholic feelings were high, especially among ex-Whigs in the Republican Party.
William Seward was elected as U.S. Senator from New York as a Whig in 1849, and emerged as the leader of the anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs". Seward opposed the Compromise of 1850, and was thought to have encouraged Taylor in his opposition.In February 1855, he was re-elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate, and joined the Republican Party when the New York Whigs merged with the Anti-Nebraskans later the same year.
He decided in 1858 to run as the Republican presidential nominee. In 1859, confident of gaining the presidential nomination and advised by his political ally and friend Thurlow Weed that he would be better off avoiding political gatherings where his words might be misinterpreted by one faction or another, Seward left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe that included a visit to Syria, where Ayub Beg Tarabulsy gave him several Arabian horses.[25] During that hiatus, his lesser-known rival Abraham Lincoln worked diligently to line up support in case Seward failed to win on the first ballot.
Abraham Lincoln appointed Seward his Secretary of State in 1861.The night before Lincoln's inauguration, Seward wanted to resign as Secretary of State. However, Lincoln did not accept his letter of resignation.
Although it took Seward several months to recover from his wounds, he emerged as a major force in the administration of the new president, Andrew Johnson. He frequently defended his more moderate reconciliation policies towards the South, to the point of enraging Radical Republicans who had once regarded Seward as their ally.
Seward retired as Secretary of State after Ulysses S. Grant took office as president. During his last years, Seward traveled and wrote prolifically. Most notably, he traveled around the world in fourteen months and two days from August, 1870 to October, 1871. On October 10, 1872, Seward died in his office in his home in Auburn, New York, after having difficulty breathing. He was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York, with his wife and two children, Cornelia and Fanny.
His son, Frederick, edited and published his memoirs in three volumes.
In 1870, some years after his wife Frances' death, Seward adopted his 26 year old companion Olive Risley
Letter References
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 26,
1838
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 17, 1865
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, May 31, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, December 28, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, May 2, 1869
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, November 4, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, November, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, March 17, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 28, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, January 15, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 12, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, June 4, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, September 30, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, September, 1867
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 28, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, November 21, 1866
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., November 7, 1866
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., November 26, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, September 18, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 11, 1867
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., August, 1866
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, May 9, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 14, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 8, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, January 22, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 13, 1866
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, August 9, 1865
Telegram from Clarence Armstrong Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 7, 1865
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., July 20, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, June 20, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, June 20, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 20, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 23, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 1, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 25, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 28, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 13, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Lazette Miller Worden, May 7, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 20, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 6, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, February 24, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Janet Watson Seward, April 9, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Adeline Seward, February 23, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, January 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 25, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, December 31, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 30, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 14, 1864
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 14, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, December, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, September 23, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., December 11, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, September 6, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 15, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, June 18, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 8, 1864
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Frances Miller Seward, Feburary 11, 1864
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 2, 1844
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1844
Letter from George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, August 16, 1848
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January, 1859
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 18, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 28, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 11, 1864
Letter from George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October, 1848
Letter to George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 9, 1848
Letter from Edwin Polydore Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 12, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, October 13, 1864
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frederick William Seward, July 16, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 26, 1865
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., June 8, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 2, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 13, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 2, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 5, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 10, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 24, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 5, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Adeline Seward, March 6, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 23, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 28, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, July 25, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anne Wharton Seward, July 7, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 3, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., July 9, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 1, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, June 5, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 12, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, May, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April 12, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Clarinda Miller McClallen, December 22, 1849
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden to Lazette Miller Worden, November 23, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, February 1, 1864
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, Febuary 26, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 28, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, April 20, 1860
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., March 20, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 4, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 25, 1860
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, February 12, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 23, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 6, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, March 27, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, February 12, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 1, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, February 1, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 28, 1859
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden Chesebro to Lazette Miller Worden, August 29, 1844
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, May 28, 1844
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, February 9, 1844
Letter from Julia Ann Van Brunt to Frances Miller Seward, April 3, 1843
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 27, 1843
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 29, 1841
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Clarinda McClallen Miller, October 4, 1840
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, September 3, 1837
Letter from Frances Tuthill Grier to Frances Miller Seward, March 23, 1833
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, January 4, 1840
Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, 1840
Letter from Frances Tuthill Grier to Frances Miller Seward, June 24, 1832
Letter from Rachel Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 5, 1835
Letter from Rachel Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1835
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 19, 1835
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 22, 1835
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 2, 1837
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward and Marcia Armstrong Seward to George Washington Seward, September 30, 1827
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, November 10, 1834
Letter from George Washington Seward to Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield, April 21, 1827
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward to George Washington Seward, December 31, 1827
Letter from William Henry Seward to Mary Jennings Seward, March 11, 1819
Letter from Alvah H. Worden to William Henry Seward, January 13, 1832
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August 5, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, Decemer 23, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, October 8, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, November 22, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, October 26, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 29, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 21, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, December 12, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 1, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 13, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazatte Miller Worden, April 14, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 11, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, April 30, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 4, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August 19, 1837
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, April 4, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 18, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 7, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 22, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, January 29, 1837
Letter from Marcia Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, February 2, 1837
Letter from William Henry Seward to Benjamin Jennings Seward, October 30, 1838
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, November 10, 1838
Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, August 16, 1838
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, March 14, 1838
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 9, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, December 21, 1839
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, November 26, 1839
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, July 31, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, September 14, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October 2, 1839
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, April 11, 1839
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, October 30, 1836
Letter from Augustus Seward to Benjamin Jennings Seward, February 5, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 7, 1839
Letter from Julia Ann Van Brunt to Frances Miller Seward, March 10, 1839
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, October 9, 1836
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, December 1, 1834
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, 1834
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 12, 1834
Letter from Marcia Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, September 17, 1833
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, August 22, 1833
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward to Samuel Sweezey Seward, August 15, 1833
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frances Miller Seward, February 3, 1833
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, May 6, 1832
Letter from Frances Elizabeth Tuthill Grier to William Henry Seward, July 25, 1832
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, Feburary 13, 1832
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, March 16, 1829
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 16, 1841
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, January 12, 1841
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, September 6, 1841
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 25, 1828
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 2, 1842
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to William Henry Seward, June 11, 1842
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 12, 1842
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frances Miller Seward, May 19, 1822
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, December 4, 1825
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 9, 1825
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, January 9, 1831
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, May 14, 1831
Citations
Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: Seward studied law at Union College, graduating in 1820. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1821. In that same year, he met Frances Adeline Miller, a classmate of his sister Cornelia at Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary and the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller of Auburn, New York. In 1823, he moved to Auburn where he entered into law partnership with Judge Miller.
In the 1820s Seward entered the New York Militia. When a regiment including Seward's battalion was organized in 1829, he was selected to command the regiment and promoted to colonel. In 1832 Seward was promoted to brigadier general, and he served until 1835, when he declined a promotion to major general and resigned his commission.
Seward entered politics with the help of his friend Thurlow Weed, whom he had met by chance after a stagecoach accident.[14] Seward served as an Anti-Masonic member of the New York State Senate (7th D.) from 1831 to 1834, sitting in the 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th New York State Legislatures. In 1834, Seward was nominated as the Whig candidate for Governor of New York, but he lost the election to the incumbent Democrat William L. Marcy.
From 1836 to 1838, Seward served as agent for a group of investors who had purchased the over 3-million-acre (12,000 km2) western New York holdings of the Holland Land Company. He moved the land office from Mayville, NY to Westfield, New York, where he was successful in easing tensions between the investors and local landowners.In 1838, Seward again challenged Marcy, and this time was elected Governor of New York. He was narrowly re-elected to a second two-year term in 1840. As a state senator and governor, Seward promoted progressive political policies including prison reform and increased spending on education. He supported state funding for schools for immigrants operated by their own clergy and taught in their native language. This support, which included Catholic parochial schools, came back to haunt him in the 1850s, when anti-Catholic feelings were high, especially among ex-Whigs in the Republican Party.
William Seward was elected as U.S. Senator from New York as a Whig in 1849, and emerged as the leader of the anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs". Seward opposed the Compromise of 1850, and was thought to have encouraged Taylor in his opposition.In February 1855, he was re-elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate, and joined the Republican Party when the New York Whigs merged with the Anti-Nebraskans later the same year.
He decided in 1858 to run as the Republican presidential nominee. In 1859, confident of gaining the presidential nomination and advised by his political ally and friend Thurlow Weed that he would be better off avoiding political gatherings where his words might be misinterpreted by one faction or another, Seward left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe that included a visit to Syria, where Ayub Beg Tarabulsy gave him several Arabian horses.[25] During that hiatus, his lesser-known rival Abraham Lincoln worked diligently to line up support in case Seward failed to win on the first ballot.
Abraham Lincoln appointed Seward his Secretary of State in 1861.The night before Lincoln's inauguration, Seward wanted to resign as Secretary of State. However, Lincoln did not accept his letter of resignation.
Although it took Seward several months to recover from his wounds, he emerged as a major force in the administration of the new president, Andrew Johnson. He frequently defended his more moderate reconciliation policies towards the South, to the point of enraging Radical Republicans who had once regarded Seward as their ally.
Seward retired as Secretary of State after Ulysses S. Grant took office as president. During his last years, Seward traveled and wrote prolifically. Most notably, he traveled around the world in fourteen months and two days from August, 1870 to October, 1871. On October 10, 1872, Seward died in his office in his home in Auburn, New York, after having difficulty breathing. He was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York, with his wife and two children, Cornelia and Fanny.
His son, Frederick, edited and published his memoirs in three volumes.
In 1870, some years after his wife Frances' death, Seward adopted his 26 year old companion Olive RisleyCitation Type: WebsiteCitation URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._SewardWebsite Viewing Date: Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 11:15Website's Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 11:15
Citation for Birth Info:
Citation for Death Info:
ChildrenSeward, Augustus Henry (AHS)
Seward, Frederick William (FWS)
Seward, Cornelia (CxS)
Seward, William Henry Jr. (WSJ)
Seward, Frances Adeline (FAS)
Seward, Augustus Henry (AHS)
Seward, Frederick William (FWS)
Seward, Cornelia (CxS)
Seward, William Henry Jr. (WSJ)
Seward, Frances Adeline (FAS)
Biography
Seward studied law at Union College, graduating in 1820. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1821. In that same year, he met Frances Adeline Miller, a classmate of his sister Cornelia at Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary and the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller of Auburn, New York. In 1823, he moved to Auburn where he entered into law partnership with Judge Miller. In the 1820s Seward entered the New York Militia. When a regiment including Seward's battalion was organized in 1829, he was selected to command the regiment and promoted to colonel. In 1832 Seward was promoted to brigadier general, and he served until 1835, when he declined a promotion to major general and resigned his commission. Seward entered politics with the help of his friend Thurlow Weed, whom he had met by chance after a stagecoach accident.[14] Seward served as an Anti-Masonic member of the New York State Senate (7th D.) from 1831 to 1834, sitting in the 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th New York State Legislatures. In 1834, Seward was nominated as the Whig candidate for Governor of New York, but he lost the election to the incumbent Democrat William L. Marcy. From 1836 to 1838, Seward served as agent for a group of investors who had purchased the over 3-million-acre (12,000 km2) western New York holdings of the Holland Land Company. He moved the land office from Mayville, NY to Westfield, New York, where he was successful in easing tensions between the investors and local landowners.In 1838, Seward again challenged Marcy, and this time was elected Governor of New York. He was narrowly re-elected to a second two-year term in 1840. As a state senator and governor, Seward promoted progressive political policies including prison reform and increased spending on education. He supported state funding for schools for immigrants operated by their own clergy and taught in their native language. This support, which included Catholic parochial schools, came back to haunt him in the 1850s, when anti-Catholic feelings were high, especially among ex-Whigs in the Republican Party. William Seward was elected as U.S. Senator from New York as a Whig in 1849, and emerged as the leader of the anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs". Seward opposed the Compromise of 1850, and was thought to have encouraged Taylor in his opposition.In February 1855, he was re-elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate, and joined the Republican Party when the New York Whigs merged with the Anti-Nebraskans later the same year. He decided in 1858 to run as the Republican presidential nominee. In 1859, confident of gaining the presidential nomination and advised by his political ally and friend Thurlow Weed that he would be better off avoiding political gatherings where his words might be misinterpreted by one faction or another, Seward left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe that included a visit to Syria, where Ayub Beg Tarabulsy gave him several Arabian horses.[25] During that hiatus, his lesser-known rival Abraham Lincoln worked diligently to line up support in case Seward failed to win on the first ballot. Abraham Lincoln appointed Seward his Secretary of State in 1861.The night before Lincoln's inauguration, Seward wanted to resign as Secretary of State. However, Lincoln did not accept his letter of resignation. Although it took Seward several months to recover from his wounds, he emerged as a major force in the administration of the new president, Andrew Johnson. He frequently defended his more moderate reconciliation policies towards the South, to the point of enraging Radical Republicans who had once regarded Seward as their ally. Seward retired as Secretary of State after Ulysses S. Grant took office as president. During his last years, Seward traveled and wrote prolifically. Most notably, he traveled around the world in fourteen months and two days from August, 1870 to October, 1871. On October 10, 1872, Seward died in his office in his home in Auburn, New York, after having difficulty breathing. He was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York, with his wife and two children, Cornelia and Fanny. His son, Frederick, edited and published his memoirs in three volumes. In 1870, some years after his wife Frances' death, Seward adopted his 26 year old companion Olive Risley
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 26, 1838
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 17, 1865
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, May 31, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, December 28, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, May 2, 1869
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, November 4, 1868
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, November, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, March 17, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 28, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, January 15, 1868
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 12, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, June 4, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, September 30, 1867
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, September, 1867
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 28, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, November 21, 1866
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., November 7, 1866
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., November 26, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, September 18, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 11, 1867
Letter from Janet Watson Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., August, 1866
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, May 9, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 14, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, February 8, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Augustus Henry Seward, January 22, 1866
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, April 13, 1866
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, August 9, 1865
Telegram from Clarence Armstrong Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 7, 1865
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., July 20, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, June 20, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, June 20, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 20, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 23, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 1, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 25, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 28, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, May 13, 1865
Telegram from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Lazette Miller Worden, May 7, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, April 20, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 6, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, February 24, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to Janet Watson Seward, April 9, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Adeline Seward, February 23, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, January 5, 1865
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 25, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, December 31, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 30, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 14, 1864
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 14, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frederick William Seward, December, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, September 23, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., December 11, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, September 6, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 15, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, June 18, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 8, 1864
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Frances Miller Seward, Feburary 11, 1864
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 2, 1844
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1844
Letter from George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, August 16, 1848
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January, 1859
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 18, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 28, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 11, 1864
Letter from George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October, 1848
Letter to George Washington Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 9, 1848
Letter from Edwin Polydore Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 12, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, October 13, 1864
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frederick William Seward, July 16, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 26, 1865
Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., June 8, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 2, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 13, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 2, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 5, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 10, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 24, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August, 1861
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 5, 1864
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Adeline Seward, March 6, 1865
Telegram from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., September 23, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April, 1865
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 28, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, July 25, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anne Wharton Seward, July 7, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, August 3, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., July 9, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 1, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, June 5, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, June 12, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Anna Wharton Seward, May, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April 12, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Clarinda Miller McClallen, December 22, 1849
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden to Lazette Miller Worden, November 23, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, April, 1864
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, February 1, 1864
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, Febuary 26, 1849
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 28, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, April 20, 1860
Letter from Frederick William Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., March 20, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 4, 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, March 25, 1860
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., 1860
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Frances Miller Seward, February 12, 1860
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 23, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 6, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Augustus Henry Seward, March 27, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, February 12, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 1, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, February 1, 1859
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, January 28, 1859
Letter from Frances Alvah Worden Chesebro to Lazette Miller Worden, August 29, 1844
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, May 28, 1844
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Augustus Henry Seward, February 9, 1844
Letter from Julia Ann Van Brunt to Frances Miller Seward, April 3, 1843
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 27, 1843
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 29, 1841
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Clarinda McClallen Miller, October 4, 1840
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, September 3, 1837
Letter from Frances Tuthill Grier to Frances Miller Seward, March 23, 1833
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, January 4, 1840
Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, 1840
Letter from Frances Tuthill Grier to Frances Miller Seward, June 24, 1832
Letter from Rachel Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 5, 1835
Letter from Rachel Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, April 5, 1835
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 19, 1835
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 22, 1835
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 2, 1837
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward and Marcia Armstrong Seward to George Washington Seward, September 30, 1827
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, November 10, 1834
Letter from George Washington Seward to Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield, April 21, 1827
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward to George Washington Seward, December 31, 1827
Letter from William Henry Seward to Mary Jennings Seward, March 11, 1819
Letter from Alvah H. Worden to William Henry Seward, January 13, 1832
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August 5, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, Decemer 23, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, October 8, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, November 22, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, October 26, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 29, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 21, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, December 12, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 1, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, October 13, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazatte Miller Worden, April 14, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 11, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, April 30, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 4, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, August 19, 1837
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, April 4, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, June 18, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, April 7, 1837
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 22, 1837
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, January 29, 1837
Letter from Marcia Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, February 2, 1837
Letter from William Henry Seward to Benjamin Jennings Seward, October 30, 1838
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, November 10, 1838
Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, August 16, 1838
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, March 14, 1838
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 9, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, December 21, 1839
Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, November 26, 1839
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, July 31, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, September 14, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, October 2, 1839
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, April 11, 1839
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, October 30, 1836
Letter from Augustus Seward to Benjamin Jennings Seward, February 5, 1839
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 7, 1839
Letter from Julia Ann Van Brunt to Frances Miller Seward, March 10, 1839
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Mary Jennings Seward, October 9, 1836
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, December 1, 1834
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, 1834
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 12, 1834
Letter from Marcia Armstrong Seward to Frances Miller Seward, September 17, 1833
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, August 22, 1833
Letter from Mary Jennings Seward to Samuel Sweezey Seward, August 15, 1833
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frances Miller Seward, February 3, 1833
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, May 6, 1832
Letter from Frances Elizabeth Tuthill Grier to William Henry Seward, July 25, 1832
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, Feburary 13, 1832
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, March 16, 1829
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 16, 1841
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, January 12, 1841
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, September 6, 1841
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 25, 1828
Letter from Mahlon Dickerson Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 2, 1842
Letter from Clarence Armstrong Seward to William Henry Seward, June 11, 1842
Letter from Augustus Seward to Frances Miller Seward, March 12, 1842
Letter from Lazette Miller Worden to Frances Miller Seward, May 19, 1822
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, December 4, 1825
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, July 9, 1825
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, January 9, 1831
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, May 14, 1831
Citations
Biography and Citation Information:
Biography:
Seward studied law at Union College, graduating in 1820. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1821. In that same year, he met Frances Adeline Miller, a classmate of his sister Cornelia at Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary and the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller of Auburn, New York. In 1823, he moved to Auburn where he entered into law partnership with Judge Miller.
In the 1820s Seward entered the New York Militia. When a regiment including Seward's battalion was organized in 1829, he was selected to command the regiment and promoted to colonel. In 1832 Seward was promoted to brigadier general, and he served until 1835, when he declined a promotion to major general and resigned his commission.
Seward entered politics with the help of his friend Thurlow Weed, whom he had met by chance after a stagecoach accident.[14] Seward served as an Anti-Masonic member of the New York State Senate (7th D.) from 1831 to 1834, sitting in the 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th New York State Legislatures. In 1834, Seward was nominated as the Whig candidate for Governor of New York, but he lost the election to the incumbent Democrat William L. Marcy.
From 1836 to 1838, Seward served as agent for a group of investors who had purchased the over 3-million-acre (12,000 km2) western New York holdings of the Holland Land Company. He moved the land office from Mayville, NY to Westfield, New York, where he was successful in easing tensions between the investors and local landowners.In 1838, Seward again challenged Marcy, and this time was elected Governor of New York. He was narrowly re-elected to a second two-year term in 1840. As a state senator and governor, Seward promoted progressive political policies including prison reform and increased spending on education. He supported state funding for schools for immigrants operated by their own clergy and taught in their native language. This support, which included Catholic parochial schools, came back to haunt him in the 1850s, when anti-Catholic feelings were high, especially among ex-Whigs in the Republican Party.
William Seward was elected as U.S. Senator from New York as a Whig in 1849, and emerged as the leader of the anti-slavery "Conscience Whigs". Seward opposed the Compromise of 1850, and was thought to have encouraged Taylor in his opposition.In February 1855, he was re-elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate, and joined the Republican Party when the New York Whigs merged with the Anti-Nebraskans later the same year.
He decided in 1858 to run as the Republican presidential nominee. In 1859, confident of gaining the presidential nomination and advised by his political ally and friend Thurlow Weed that he would be better off avoiding political gatherings where his words might be misinterpreted by one faction or another, Seward left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe that included a visit to Syria, where Ayub Beg Tarabulsy gave him several Arabian horses.[25] During that hiatus, his lesser-known rival Abraham Lincoln worked diligently to line up support in case Seward failed to win on the first ballot.
Abraham Lincoln appointed Seward his Secretary of State in 1861.The night before Lincoln's inauguration, Seward wanted to resign as Secretary of State. However, Lincoln did not accept his letter of resignation.
Although it took Seward several months to recover from his wounds, he emerged as a major force in the administration of the new president, Andrew Johnson. He frequently defended his more moderate reconciliation policies towards the South, to the point of enraging Radical Republicans who had once regarded Seward as their ally.
Seward retired as Secretary of State after Ulysses S. Grant took office as president. During his last years, Seward traveled and wrote prolifically. Most notably, he traveled around the world in fourteen months and two days from August, 1870 to October, 1871. On October 10, 1872, Seward died in his office in his home in Auburn, New York, after having difficulty breathing. He was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York, with his wife and two children, Cornelia and Fanny.
His son, Frederick, edited and published his memoirs in three volumes.
In 1870, some years after his wife Frances' death, Seward adopted his 26 year old companion Olive Risley
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Seward
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