威廉·H·苏厄德

生平

苏厄德曾于1849－1861年担任两届美国参议员。他于1860年美国总统选举与亚伯拉罕·林肯竞逐共和党初选，最终败给林肯。林肯于1861年就任总统后，让他出任国务卿。

1865年4月14日，美国内战结束后的仅五天，总统林肯遇刺身亡。而行刺主谋约翰·威尔克斯·布斯另与路易斯·鲍威尔合谋，让后者在当天晚上到苏厄德的家中进行刺杀，苏厄德脸部被刀重创，但没有危及生命。林肯遇刺后，副总统安德鲁·约翰逊继任总统，苏厄德仍任国务卿，并保持对总统约翰逊的忠诚，维持共和党在内阁的影响力。

外交

他在国务卿任内，从俄罗斯手上买下了俄属美洲，即今日的美国阿拉斯加州。购买阿拉斯加事件一度造成民众对苏厄德的批评和非议，人们称阿拉斯加这块不毛之地为“苏厄德的冰箱”或者是“苏厄德的蠢事”。

William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869 and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opponent of the spread of slavery in the years leading up to the American Civil War, he was prominent in the Republican Party in its formative years and was praised for his work on behalf of the Union as Secretary of State during the Civil War. He also negotiated the treaty for the United States to purchase the Alaska Territory.

Seward was born in 1801 in the village of Florida, in Orange County, New York, where his father was a farmer and owned slaves. He was educated as a lawyer and moved to the Central New York town of Auburn. Seward was elected to the New York State Senate in 1830 as an Anti-Mason. Four years later, he became the gubernatorial nominee of the Whig Party. Though he lost that race, Seward was elected governor in 1838 and won a second two-year term in 1840. During this period, he signed several laws that advanced the rights of and opportunities for black residents, as well as guaranteeing jury trials for fugitive slaves in the state. The legislation protected abolitionists, and he used his position to intervene in cases of freed black people who were enslaved in the South.

After many years practicing law in Auburn, he was elected by the state legislature to the U.S. Senate in 1849. Seward's strong stances and provocative words against slavery brought him hatred in the South. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1855 and soon joined the nascent Republican Party, becoming one of its leading figures. As the 1860 presidential election approached, he was regarded as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination.……

Early life

Seward was born on May 16, 1801, in the small community of Florida, New York, in Orange County. He was the fourth son of Samuel Sweezy Seward and Mary (Jennings) Seward. Samuel Seward was a wealthy landowner and slaveholder in New York State; slavery was not fully abolished in the state until 1827.……

Lawyer and state senator

Early career and involvement in politics

After graduation, Seward spent much of the following two years studying law in Goshen and New York City with attorneys John Duer, John Anthon and Ogden Hoffman. He passed the bar examination in late 1822.……

Governor of New York

William Seward was sworn in as governor of New York on January 1, 1839, and inaugurated in front of a crowd of jubilant Whigs. In that era, the annual message by the New York governor was published and discussed to the extent of that of a president.……

Out of office

As governor, Seward incurred considerable personal debt not only because he had to live beyond his salary to maintain the lifestyle expected of the office, but also because he could not pay down his obligation from the land company purchase. At the time he left office, he owed $200,000.……

U.S. Senator

First term

William Seward was sworn in as senator from New York on March 5, 1849, during the brief special session called to confirm President Taylor's Cabinet nominees. Seward was seen as having influence over Taylor.……

Election of 1860

Candidate for the nomination

In 1859, Seward was advised by his political supporters that he would be better off avoiding additional controversial statements, and left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe and the Middle East.……

Convention

There were no primaries in 1860, no way to be certain how many delegates a candidate might receive.……

Secession crisis

Lincoln's election had been anticipated in Southern states, and South Carolina and other Deep South states began to call conventions for the purpose of secession.……

Secretary of State

Lincoln administration

War breaks out

Lincoln faced the question of what to do about Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, held by the Army against the will of South Carolinians, who had blockaded it. The fort's commander, Major Robert Anderson, had sent word that he would run out of supplies.……

Diplomacy

When the war started, Seward turned his attention to making sure that foreign powers did not interfere in the conflict.……

1868 election, retirement and death

Seward hoped that Johnson would be nominated at the 1868 Democratic National Convention, but the delegates chose former New York governor Horatio Seymour. The Republicans chose General Ulysses S. Grant, who had a hostile relationship with Johnson.……

Legacy and historical view

Seward's reputation, controversial in life, remained so in death, dividing his contemporaries.……

Print sources

Beverton, Alys Dyson. "The Rising sun of Empire": William H. Seward's Mexican Policy 1861-1865. PhD dissertation. University of Sussex.