William H. (William Henry) Seward

author

William H. (William Henry) Seward

1801–1872

A leading American statesman of the 19th century, he helped shape the nation through the Civil War and is still widely remembered for the Alaska Purchase. Before serving as secretary of state, he built a long political career as governor of New York and a U.S. senator.

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Life and public services of John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States, with the eulogy delivered before the Legislature of New York

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 1801, William Henry Seward was an American lawyer and politician whose career stretched across some of the most turbulent decades in U.S. history. He served as governor of New York, then as a U.S. senator, where he became known as a prominent antislavery voice.

Seward later served as secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. In that role, he worked to keep foreign powers from recognizing the Confederacy during the Civil War, and he became especially famous for negotiating the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia.

He survived a brutal attack on the same night Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 and remained in office afterward. Seward died in 1872, leaving behind a reputation as one of the most influential American diplomats and political figures of his era.