Wills House Virtual Identity: William H. Seward

Secretary of State William H. Seward

Library of Congress

You have selected to discover the story of William Seward, US Secretary of State

To Begin. . .
Read the “Before the War” section below and then proceed to the next room in the Wills House and return to page when prompted.

 

Before The War

William Seward was a public servant for much of his life, most notably as the Governor of New York from 1838 to 1842, and then as a U.S. Senator leading up to the Civil War. He and his wife, Frances, were outspoken opponents of the spread of slavery, and friends with leading abolitionists and women’s rights advocates throughout the state and country. Frederick Douglass himself wrote to Seward in 1850, declaring “You, my dear sir, have the organizing power, and have the voice to command and give Shape to the cause of your country, and to the cause of human Liberty.” In fact, Seward was regarded as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination as the election of 1860 approached, but his vocal opposition to slavery, support for immigrants, and association with the influential newspaper publisher, Thurlow Weed, worked against him.

From Here:
You can return to Seward’s story in the Lincoln bedroom on the second floor of the house.

 

During The War

While Seward did not secure the Republican nomination for President, he was quickly selected by President Lincoln as the Secretary of State, and often regarded as the second most important person in the administration. Seward rode the train to Gettysburg with Lincoln on November 18, 1863 and stayed the night at the adjoining house to the Wills’ home. While Lincoln was not prepared to make a speech to the crowds that gathered on the square, Seward addressed them as follows: “I believe this strife is going to end in the removal of that evil which should have been removed by deliberate councils and peaceful means.” Later: “… we shall therefore be united, only one country, having one hope, one ambition, and one destiny.” And: “… this government of ours – the freest, the best, the wisest and the happiest in the world – must be, and so far as we are concerned practically will be, immortal.” Around 11:00 p.m., Lincoln visited Seward next door with a draft of his Gettysburg Address, and although his own informal speech was widely reprinted in the press, it would soon be forgotten in the shadow of Lincoln’s official address at the cemetery dedication the next day.

From Here:
You can return to Seward’s story after finishing your tour of the second floor.

 

After The War

In addition to so few people knowing about Seward’s “Gettysburg address”, it has largely been forgotten that he was also one of the targets of the 1865 assassination plot that killed Lincoln. Seward was wounded in this attack by a former Confederate soldier, as were four of his children, and a bodyguard. All eight victims of the attack would eventually recover. Frances Seward died not long afterwards, but he continued to serve his country as Secretary of State through the Andrew Johnson administration, his most notable accomplishment being the negotiation of the Alaska Purchase in 1867. William Seward died at his home in October, 1872; his final words were “Love one another.”