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"The Civil War." William Seward. N.p., 1 May 2018. Web. 01 May 2018.

"Civil War Photos." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 2018. Web. 01 May 2018

Stahr, Walter. Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2013. Print.

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Born: 1801 in the State of New York
Politics: Governor of New York, Senator and Presidential Candidate 1860 (lost to Lincoln in the Republican Primary) and Secretary of State (Emancipation Proclamation, 13th Amendment and Purchase of Alaska from Russia).
Maybe you didn't know: The night President was shot by John Wilkes Booth, there was an attempt on my life.  I survived, 3 of my children were also badly wounded and the stress of the this lead to the death of my wife 2 months later.
Died: 1872 at home in Auburn, New York

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After the Passage of the 13th, it was back to saving the Union

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After the Passage of the 13th, it was back to saving the Union

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On Feb. 5th of 1865 President Lincoln sent me south on a secret mission.  I was to meet with 3 representatives of the Confederacy.  One of the men was the Vice President of the South and a friend of mine.  After a few misunderstandings, we finally met on "River Queen".  I guaranteed (or at least pretended I could) anything they wanted as long as the returned to the Union. My main focus now was putting the Union back together.

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It had to be done.  These Congressmen would not vote for the 13th, unless the gained some personal benefit.  Most were given a 2nd job, a few were given money, but when it comes to saving 4 million people, what's a little bending of the rules

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Passage of the 13th and a dirty, but true, rumor

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Passage of the 13th and a dirty, but true, rumor

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I took a key role in passage of the 13th Amendment. The New York Times wrote about me years later, "Besides Thaddus Stevens and Lincoln, the most diligent manager of the amendment was secretary of State William Henry Seward. Perhaps on Lincoln’s advice, but just as likely on his own initiative, Seward decided to take a leading role in steering the amendment through Congress. The lobby he organized became renowned, not only for its dogged pursuit of opposition votes but also for its use of questionable, even corrupt methods.”

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While the press portrayed the President as not wanting to free the slaves, I was quietly working behind the scenes and crafting an executive order to free any slaves that are under Union Army control. Emancipating the slaves was my idea.

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“Eloquent as your speech was, it fails to meet with the entire approval of those who love you best,” she wrote from Auburn. “Compromise based on the idea that the preservation of the Union is more important than the liberty of nearly 4,000,000 human beings cannot be right.”

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Well, that was really dumb of me.  I had a captain fire on our closets ally.  The President was enraged. I convinced him and the Queen that this captain acted on his own.  I was able to convince him of this because I was trying to save the Union and starting a war with England would not help, but I was also able to keep England (and France) from buying cotton - therefore denying the South any ability to support their war efforts.

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As Sec. of State I was charged with keeping Britain from helping the South by not letting them buy cotton. I was given secret information that the Queen was sending men and money on one of her ships to purchase cotton. I ordered a US Navy Captain to fire on and seize the R.M.S. Trent

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My Speech to Congress after I was appointed Secretary of State 1/10/1861

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My Speech to Congress after I was appointed Secretary of State 1/10/1861

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"Congress cannot and should not interfere with Slavery. That is a state issue and it should be left to the individual states"

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This cartoon was published in 1863 shows me on the right.  Mr.  Thurlow Weed and I are trying to convince the President that saving the Union 1863 is still the only goal.  The man on the far left is an Abolitionist trying to get his point of view in.  The title is, "Inside Track". My wife hates this cartoon because she says it looks nothing like me

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In this letter, I defend Mr. Van Zandt and his right to help runaway slaves.  I felt it is not only his right as a northern but his Godly duty to help the runaways become free

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How President Lincoln describe me in his journal

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How President Lincoln describe me in his journal

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“Seward is small in stature, big as to nose, light as to hair and eyes, averse to all attempts upon his portrait, and very republican in dress and manner of living, He is affable and pleasant, accessible – smoking cigars always, ruffled or excited, never, astute, keen to perceive a joke, appreciate of a good thing, and fond of ‘good victuals,’"

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“There are two antagonistic elements of society in America.” I had proclaimed in 1848, “Freedom and Slavery."

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In order to help President Lincoln set the slaves free and save the Union I would often say or do the opposite idea from what I had say or done before. The Civil War made me into two different people doing the opposite thing at the same time.