author
William H. (William Henry) Seward
1801–1872
A leading antislavery politician before the Civil War, he became one of Abraham Lincoln’s closest advisers and helped steer U.S. diplomacy through the conflict. He is also widely remembered for arranging the 1867 purchase of Alaska, once mocked as “Seward’s Folly.”
1 Audiobook
Life and public services of John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States, with the eulogy delivered before the Legislature of New York
by William H. (William Henry) Seward
About the author
Born in Florida, New York, in 1801, William Henry Seward studied at Union College, became a lawyer, and rose quickly in politics. He served as governor of New York and then as a U.S. senator, building a national reputation as a strong opponent of slavery’s expansion.
In 1861, after losing the Republican presidential nomination to Abraham Lincoln, he joined Lincoln’s cabinet as secretary of state. In that role he managed delicate foreign relations during the Civil War and worked to keep European powers from recognizing the Confederacy.
Seward remained secretary of state under Andrew Johnson and capped his public career by negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Though critics laughed at the deal at the time, it later became one of the most famous land acquisitions in American history. He died in Auburn, New York, in 1872.