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Seward
Seward, William
The Oxford Companion to United States History
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2001
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© The Oxford Companion to United States History 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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Seward, William (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 nomination in 1860, Seward served Abraham
Lincoln and Andrew
Johnson as secretary of state (1861–1869). During the
Civil War he worked with the U.S. minister to Great Britain, Charles Francis Adams, to prevent the Crown from recognizing and aiding the Confederacy and in resolving potential sources of conflict. He also pressured Emperor Napoleon III of France into remaining neutral and withdrawing French forces from Mexico (1866).
Seward vigorously promoted American commercial and territorial interests in the Pacific. Urging open markets and territorial integrity of China, he pledged, in the Burlingame Treaty of 1868, to respect the Chinese government's control of its domestic affairs. Conversely, he aggressively and willingly used naval force in
foreign‐trade issues relating to China, Korea, and Japan. Seward's Pacific policy included the assertion of a U.S. claim to the Midway Islands (1867), support for the annexation of
Hawai'i, and the controversial purchase of
Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million—a transaction some called “Seward's Folly.”
Seward's expansionist goals in the Caribbean proved less successful. He failed to buy the Virgin Islands from Denmark (1867), secure naval bases in Santo Domingo and Central America, or obtain Senate ratification of a
Panama Canal treaty with Colombia. Seward's vision and accomplishments were those of a shrewd diplomat with an expansive view of America's destiny.
See also
Expansionism;
Federal Government, Executive Branch: Department of State;
Foreign Relations: U.S. Relations with Europe;
Foreign Relations: U.S. Relations with Asia;
Foreign Relations: U.S. Relations with Latin America;
Manifest Destiny.
Bibliography
Glyndon Van Deusen , William Henry Seward, 1967.
Ernest N. Paolino , The Foundations of American Empire: William Henry Seward and U.S. Foreign Policy, 1973.
John M. Belohlavek
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 "The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)")
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SEWARD AIDED RUNAWAYS AS HE ROSE TO POWER.(SERIES: STOPS ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM)(Local)
Newspaper article from: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY); 2/3/2005; 700+ words
; ...movement. Today: The William Henry Seward House, 33 South St., Auburn, Cayuga County William Henry and Frances Seward hosted parties and entertained such...Wisbey, executive director of the Seward House. A letter written Nov. 18...
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"SEWARD HOUSE IS INCREDIBLE'; DEPARTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PETER WISBEY SAID HE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT STATESMAN WILLIAM SEWARD BEFORE HE ARRIVED IN AUBURN, BUT QUICKLY BECAME A BIG FAN.(Neighbors)
Newspaper article from: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY); 10/8/2009; 700+ words
; ...stepping down as executive director of the Seward House. Wisbey has been commuting daily...those positions were as a curator. The Seward House was my first time as executive director...in title to get excited about. "The Seward House is incredible. It has a collection...
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Seward: a big-time port with a small-town heart. (Port of the Month).(cruise travel in Alaska)
Magazine article from: Cruise Travel; 5/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; William Henry Seward is remembered fondly in Alaska. In 1867, as secretary of state...Today, there are many places that bear his name, such as Fort Seward in Haines and the Seward Peninsula on the Bering Strait. Best known, however, is the...
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Seward: A Vacationer's Paradise.
Magazine article from: Alaska Business Monthly; 1/1/2000; ; 700+ words
; ...what to do next. Every season has its charm in Seward. When anyone says getting to Seward is only half the fun, they're not kidding...course, the other half of the fun is being in Seward: winter, spring, summer or fall. "Seward...
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 "AK Journal of Commerce (Anchorage, AK)")
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Seward, Alaska, tourism official remains unfazed by loss of cruise ships.
Newspaper article from: AK Journal of Commerce (Anchorage, AK); 9/12/2004; 700+ words
; ...in 2004 their ships would no longer dock in Seward. Instead, the five ships -- totaling about...passengers to Whittier. In one fell swoop, Seward lost fully half its cruise ships. Seward's response? Oh well. "Losing half our cruise...
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SEWARD APPLAUDS REFORM; STATE SENATOR PRAISES RECENT ON-TIME BUDGETS.(Local)
Newspaper article from: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY); 10/22/2006; 700+ words
; ...Rebecca James Staff writer State Sen. James Seward will return to Albany in 2007 to start...criticized as paralyzed by gridlock. Yet Seward, a Republican from Milford who is unopposed...s been a major step forward for us. Seward said he hopes the Legislature will take...
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 "Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)")
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Seward is pinnacle of Alaskan Independence Day; Endurance: Their idea of fun is a mad, muddy scramble up Mount Marathon
Newspaper article from: Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque); 6/30/2002; ; 700+ words
; SEWARD, Alaska - Sure it's a cliche. But legend...scrambling up and down Mount Marathon in Seward, it makes sense that the first people to...the thousands of spectators in downtown Seward were having a grand time. There was a parade...
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 "Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)")
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MAKING SEWARD'S FOLLY A REALITY.(CAPITAL REGION)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 2/22/2001; 700+ words
; ...grade social studies class, Claude Seward heard a name that would leave a lifelong...A teacher explained that William H. Seward, who had served as secretary of state...brokered the 1867 Alaska purchase, called Seward's Folly by those who thought the $7...
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Robert Seward, 89, food plant designer
Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times; 8/22/2002; ; 620 words
; Bob Seward helped get the first McDonald's restaurant...for the Golden Arches. But the more Mr. Seward traveled, the more he realized how much...where he had a summer home, said Jim Seward, one of his six sons. Mr. Seward died...
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SALEM'S SEWARD JUMPS AHEAD OF THE PACK AT GROUP AAA GIRLS TRACK MEET, SUN DEVILS WILL RELY HEAVILY ON THEIR JUNIOR STAR.(SPORTS)
Newspaper article from: The Virginian Pilot; 5/31/2002; 700+ words
; ...state champion. So when Purham saw Amy Seward three years ago, she knew she had something special. Seward was 5-foot-8 and had just the right...She had a desire to excel, too. But Seward also loved basketball, which affected...
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William Henry Seward
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of World Biography
William Henry Seward William Henry Seward (1801-1872), American statesman, is noted for his staunch...Abraham Lincoln's Cabinet during the Civil War. William H. Seward was born on May 16, 1801, in Florida, N.Y. He attended...
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Seward, William
Book article from: The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military
Seward, William (1801–72) U.S...in New York. As governor of New York, Seward promoted education and internal improvements...and was outspokenly antislavery. In 1849 Seward moved to the U.S. Senate, where he opposed...
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Seward, William H.
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to American Military History
Seward, William H. (1801–1872...War.An 1820 graduate of Union College, Seward became a lawyer in Auburn, New York, and...presidential nomination to Abraham Lincoln , Seward was offered the State Department as a consolation...
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Seward, William Henry
Book article from: A Dictionary of World History
Seward, William Henry (1801–72...the time of Lincoln's assassination, Seward recovered and stayed in office during the...supporting him against the radical Republicans. Seward believed in the need for the USA to expand...
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Seward
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Seward city (1990 pop. 2,699), Kenai Peninsula borough, S Alaska, on Kenai...seafood canning and freezing. Tourism also bolsters the city's economy. Seward was almost completely devastated by an earthquake in 1964 but has since been...
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