William Seward
Born	May 16, 1801
Died	October 10, 1872
Home State	New York
Political Parties	Anti-Masonic, Whig, Republican

William Seward was a very important Whig and later Republican from New York. He was Thurlow Weed's protege, and Weed was always trying to get him into positions of power so he could have more influence. In 1838, Seward was elected governor of New York. He got reelected in 1840, but soon he made some mistakes that hurt his reputation. As a result, he did not seek relection in 1842. However, a few years later he was appointed as a Senator for New York, a position he would hold for years.

Seward was fiercely antislavery, and he was considered a radical Whig. Once the Whig Party fell apart, Seward became a prominent Republican. In 1860, he almost got the nomination for president, but in the end, he lost to Abraham Lincoln. This really angered him, and he felt cheated. Still, Lincoln would later make Seward his Secretary of State, and he continued to hold that position under Andrew Johnson.

Being Lincoln's Secretary of State, Seward was important during the Civil War. He also helped negotiate the purchase of Alaska in 1867.

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