Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Seward, William Henry

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1801–72, American statesman, b. Florida, Orange co., N.Y. A graduate (1820) of Union College, he was admitted to the bar in 1822 and established himself as a lawyer in Auburn, N.Y., which he made his lifelong home. He was active in the Anti-Masonic party and later (1834) he and his close personal and political friend, Thurlow Weed were founding members of the Whig party and the most influential Whigs in New York state. A state senator from 1830 to 1834, he ran unsuccessfully for the governorship in 1834. In 1838, however, he won that office, and he was reelected in 1840. As governor, Seward worked for educational reforms and internal improvements; he also secured legislation to better the position of immigrants and to protect fugitive slaves. He returned to his law practice in 1843. Seward was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1849. Reelected in 1855, he was one of the Senate's most prominent members in the troubled years preceding the Civil War. A genial, gregarious man with intellectual…
210 results

Full text Article Seward, William H.

From Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World
An abolitionist from New York whom Abraham...
A Northern abolitionist, William Henry Seward became an early leader in the Republican Party and served as U.S. secretary of state from 1861 to 1869. He vied with Abraham Lincoln for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 1860, but his greatest fame came as a member of Lincoln’s cabinet, …
| 656 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward, William H.

From Philip's Encyclopedia
| 71 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward, William H. (1801–1872)

From Encyclopedia of Cuban-United States Relations
Seward wa a senator from the state of New York before becoming secretary of state in 1861. In 1863, in the midst of the U.S. Civil War, Secretary of State Seward affirmed the Lincoln administration's determination to strike a counterblow if the South sought any refuge in Cuba. At the same time, …
| 119 words
Key concepts:
Portrait of William H. Seward, Secretary of State...
Overview William Henry Seward was born in New York in 1801. After graduating from Union College in 1820, he passed the state bar exam in 1822 and began to practice law. He first entered politics by running unsuccessfully for the New York State Senate in 1828. Two years later, he won the office on…
| 5,187 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward, William

From The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History
(1801–1872), statesman. A New York lawyer, Seward adhered to the Anti-Masonic Party and later the Whig Party. Elected governor (1839) and U.S. senator (1848), he championed internal improvements, educational reform, and antislavery. A leading candidate for the Republican Party's presidential…
| 347 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward, William H.

From American Biographies: American Political Leaders
(b. 1801–d. 1872) secretary of state William Henry Seward was a major political influence in the United States for more than four decades, from the presidency of John Quincy Adams through that of Andrew Johnson. A moderate who favored a conciliatory Reconstruction policy, he remained loyal to…
| 700 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward, William H.

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, shown in...
(b. 1801–d. 1872) secretary of state Born 60 miles northwest of New York City in 1801, Seward graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Union College in 1820 and was admitted to the bar in 1822. Entering politics as an anti-Masonic state senator, he served two terms as governor of New York as a Whig (1839–43). …
| 679 words , 1 image

Full text Article Seward, William H(enry)

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born May 16, 1801, Florida, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 10, 1872, Auburn, N.Y.) U.S. politician. He served in the New York state senate (1830–34) and as governor (1839–43). In the U.S. Senate (1849–61), he was an antislavery leader in the Whig and Republican parties. A close adviser to Pres. Abraham…
| 187 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article SEWARD, WILLIAM H.

From The Reader's Companion to American History
(1801-1872), New York politician and secretary of state. Seward was one of the major political figures of the mid-nineteenth century. Born in New York, he graduated from Union College and was admitted to the bar, afterward setting up a law office in Auburn, New York. But politics quickly became…
| 597 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Seward

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Biographical Names
| 19 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources