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114-563: A planned train route through Bellaire, Ohio , to Wheeling, Virginia ( West Virginia had yet to break off from Virginia) and eastward was subsequently rerouted up through the Pittsburgh vicinity, through Pennsylvania , into Maryland , and eventually to Washington . He passed through Baltimore unnoticed, which proved controversial after newspapers revealed the seemingly cowardly decision. The incident and its significance have since been debated by scholars. On November 6, 1860, Lincoln

228-733: A "higher law than the Constitution". The speech was widely reprinted and made Seward the leading anti-slavery advocate in the Senate. President Taylor took a stance sympathetic to the North, but his death in July 1850 caused the accession of the pro-Compromise Fillmore and ended Seward's influence over patronage. The Compromise passed, and many Seward adherents in federal office in New York were replaced by Fillmore appointees. Although Clay had hoped

342-718: A Republican nominee faced with a Solid South . Conservative factions in the evolving Republican Party opposed Seward. There were no primaries in 1860, no way to be certain how many delegates a candidate might receive. Nevertheless, going into the 1860 Republican National Convention in May in Chicago, Seward was seen as the overwhelming favorite. Others spoken of for the nomination included Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase, former Missouri congressman Edward Bates , and former Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln . Seward stayed in Auburn during

456-618: A boy—was sent to Union College in Schenectady, New York . Admitted to the sophomore class, Seward was an outstanding student and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa . Seward's fellow students included Richard M. Blatchford , who became a lifelong legal and political associate. Samuel Seward kept his son short on cash, and in December 1818—during the middle of Henry's final year at Union—the two quarreled about money. The younger Seward returned to Schenectady but soon left school in company with

570-433: A city in which he received only two percent of the vote, and through a state in which he received "fewer than 2,300 votes". The incoming Republican government was not about to take risks, and later that year Lincoln would suspend many civil liberties, even ordering the arrest of Maryland's state legislature for fear it might vote for secession. Pinkerton, in particular, was extremely cautious, which he would demonstrate during

684-476: A draft of the speech to Seward, who had advised him to omit the personal references. Two days after the speech, Butler's nephew, Congressman Preston Brooks entered the chamber and beat Sumner with a cane, injuring him severely. Although some southerners feared the propaganda value of the incident in the North, most lionized Brooks as a hero. Many northerners were outraged, though some, including Seward, felt that Sumner's words against Butler had unnecessarily provoked

798-426: A far warmer welcome than in the marble palaces of the well-to-do (evoking Van Buren). Both Harrison and Seward were elected. Although Seward would serve for nearly thirty more years in public life, his name would never again pass before the voters. In his second term, Seward was involved with the trial of Alexander McLeod , who had boasted of involvement in the 1837 Caroline Affair , in which Canadians came across

912-549: A fellow student, Alvah Wilson . The two took a ship from New York to Georgia , where Wilson had been offered a job as rector, or principal, of a new academy in rural Putnam County . En route, Wilson took a job at another school, leaving Seward to continue on to Eatonton in Putnam County. The trustees interviewed the 17-year-old Seward and found his qualifications acceptable. Seward enjoyed his time in Georgia, where he

1026-407: A few miles of Washington." That account contradicts other firsthand accounts, which state that Lincoln spent a sleepless and anxious night with Lamon and Pinkerton. George William Brown, then the mayor of Baltimore, wrote in his memoir of the event that he was not disloyal and described the plot exaggerated, sensational and imagined. Harold Holzer , a Lincoln scholar, asked whether Lincoln's decision

1140-549: A former state legislator. Seward did not campaign in person, but ran affairs behind the scenes with Weed and made his views known to voters through a Fourth of July speech and lengthy letters, declining invitations to speak, printed in the papers. In one, Seward expounded upon the importance of the log cabin —a structure evoking the common man and a theme that the Whigs used heavily in Harrison's campaign —where Seward had always found

1254-508: A friend that if Seward had been elected in 1860, he would have refused to administer the oath of office. Buchanan reportedly denied the senator access to the White House. Seward predicted slavery was doomed: The interest of the white races demands the ultimate emancipation of all men. Whether that consummation shall be allowed to take effect, with needful and wise precautions against sudden change and disaster, or be hurried on by violence,

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1368-628: A good time to absent himself from electoral politics, as the Whig Party was in turmoil. President Tyler, a former Democrat, and Senator Clay each claimed leadership of the Whig Party and, as the two men differed over such issues as whether to re-establish the Bank of the United States , party support was divided. The abolitionist movement attracted those who did not want to be part of a party led by slavery-supporting Southerners. In 1844 , Seward

1482-426: A gubernatorial candidate. Democratic Governor William Marcy was heavily favored to be re-elected, and few prominent Whigs were anxious to run a campaign that would most likely be lost. Seward's wife and father wanted him to retire from politics to increase the income from his law practice, and Weed urged him to seek re-election to the state Senate. Nevertheless, the reluctance of others to run caused Seward to emerge as

1596-468: A local government could ban slavery in the territories. In a speech on March 3 in the Senate, Seward "delighted Republican ears and utterly appalled administration Democrats, especially the Southerners". Discussing Dred Scott , Seward accused Buchanan and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of conspiring to gain the result and threatened to reform the courts to eliminate Southern power. Taney later told

1710-487: A major candidate, his supporters had been able to influence the decision to hold the convention in his home state, and surrounded the New York delegation, pro-Seward, with Lincoln loyalists. They were eventually successful in gaining the support of the delegations from the other battleground states, boosting delegates' perceptions of Lincoln's electability. Although Lincoln and Seward shared many views, Lincoln, out of office since 1849, had not excited opposition as Seward had in

1824-494: A major candidate. Weed procured Seward's triumph at the Utica convention. The election turned on national issues, most importantly President Jackson's policies. These were then popular, and in a strong year for Democrats, Seward was defeated by some 11,000 votes—Weed wrote that the Whigs were overwhelmed by illegally cast ballots. Defeated for governor and with his term in the state Senate having expired, Seward returned to Auburn and

1938-571: A military hero to win the election. Scott gained the nomination, and Seward campaigned for him. The Whigs were unable to reconcile over slavery, whereas the Democrats could unite behind the Compromise; the Whigs won only four states, and former New Hampshire senator Franklin Pierce was elected president . Other events, such as the 1852 publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Northern anger over

2052-766: A plot existed to ambush Lincoln's carriage between the Calvert Street Station of the Northern Central Railway and the Camden Station of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . Pinkerton and his fellow operatives, including Kate Warne , discovered several possible plots in Baltimore. This included an investigation of Corsican hairdresser Cipriano Ferrandini , a well-established barber at Baltimore's Barnum's Hotel, and president of

2166-424: A secret league from Baltimore which had planned on destroying railroad bridges and telegraph wires and killing Lincoln. Other individuals, such as Senator William Seward and New York City police detective David S. Bookstaver drew similar conclusions to Pinkerton, while a congressional select committee also investigated the threat by Ferrandini. However, the committee determined that the threat wasn't real and that

2280-536: A set which looks more like a town in the Wild West than Baltimore, and "tedious viewing" for Lincolnphiles . The popular YouTube series " Puppet History " has an episode which describes a simplified version of the Baltimore Plot. The episode, entitled "How America's First Female Detective Saved Abe Lincoln," mainly focuses on Kate Warne , and how she aided in saving the life of the president elect. There

2394-541: A trip to Europe, where they met the political men of the day. Seward hoped that the Anti-Masons would nominate Supreme Court Justice John McLean for president against Jackson's re-election bid in 1832 , but the nomination fell to former Attorney General William Wirt . Kentucky Senator Henry Clay , an opponent of Jackson, was a Mason, and thus unacceptable as party standard-bearer. In the aftermath of Jackson's easy victory, many of those who opposed him believed that

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2508-519: A united front was necessary to defeat the Democrats, and the Whig Party gradually came into being. The Whigs believed in legislative action to develop the country and opposed Jackson's unilateral actions as president, which they deemed imperial. Many Anti-Masons, including Seward and Weed, readily joined the new party. In preparation for the 1834 election, New York's Whigs met in Utica to determine

2622-562: Is all that remains for you to decide. Southerners saw this as a threat, by the man deemed the likely Republican nominee in 1860, to force change on the South whether it liked it or not. Statehood for Kansas failed for the time being, but Seward's words were repeatedly cited by Southern senators as the secession crisis grew. Nevertheless, Seward remained on excellent personal terms with individual southerners such as Mississippi's Jefferson Davis . His dinner parties, where those from both sides of

2736-711: Is also a graphic novel focusing on Kate Warne and the Pinkerton's role by Jeff Jensen entitled Better Angels: A Kate Warne Adventure . Bellaire, Ohio Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 217426927 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:47:29 GMT William H. Seward William Henry Seward ( / ˈ s uː ər d / ; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872)

2850-401: Is known about the Baltimore Plot, with some differences. It is a New York Police Department detective named John Kennedy, played by Dick Powell , who contacts the administration about the conspiracy and boards the train hoping to discover whether any of the plotters are on board before they reach Baltimore. There actually was an NYPD officer, John Alexander Kennedy , who claimed to have been

2964-634: The Albany Evening Journal , advocated for Seward, who was elected by about 2,000 votes. Seward was sworn in as state senator in January 1831. He left Frances and their children in Auburn and wrote to her of his experiences. These included meeting former vice president Aaron Burr , who had returned to practicing law in New York following a self-imposed exile in Europe after his duel with Alexander Hamilton and treason trial. The Regency (or

3078-526: The Democrats , as the national party led by Jackson and supported by Van Buren, was becoming known) controlled the Senate. Seward and his party allied with dissident Democrats and others to pass some legislation, including penal reform measures, for which Seward would become known. During his term as state senator, Seward traveled extensively, visiting other anti-Jackson leaders, including former president Adams. He also accompanied his father Samuel Seward on

3192-1058: The Niagara River and sank the Caroline , a steamboat being used to supply William Lyon Mackenzie 's fighters during the Upper Canada Rebellion . McLeod was arrested, but the British Foreign Minister, Lord Palmerston , demanded his release. McLeod, who was part of the Canadian colonial militia , could not be held responsible for actions taken under orders. Although the Van Buren administration had agreed with Seward that McLeod should be tried under state law, its successor did not and urged that charges against McLeod be dropped. A series of testy letters were exchanged between Governor Seward and Harrison's Secretary of State Daniel Webster , and also between

3306-798: The White House Historical Association said the severity and existence of the plot has been "disputed by historians and Lincoln's contemporaries alike," and stated that Pinkerton heavily relied on hearsay, whispers and rumors "to establish the facts of the Baltimore Plot case." In contrast, Greg Tobin wrote in the New York Times that Pinkerton helped Lincoln avoid a "cataclysm" that would have befallen him, had he not followed Pinkerton's plan. Writer Richard Brownwell claimed that Ferrandini and his co-conspirators were "angered at being cheated out of their chance to kill Lincoln." The life of Ferrandini sparked speculation and

3420-567: The high society of Baltimore who had Confederate sympathies. Later, Pinkerton's operatives investigated Otis K. Hillard, a member of the Palmetto Guards, a secret military organization in Baltimore. After interviewing him, they learned of several possible plots to kill Lincoln, including one where Lincoln would be surrounded by a "vast crowd" at the Camden Street depot. Another Pinkerton operative, Timothy Webster , learned about

3534-564: The oath of office and in convincing Pinkerton that there was a plot to assassinate Lincoln in Baltimore. Harry W. Davies, another Pinkerton agent, also helped convince Pinkerton of the threat, and was credited with gathering and supplying information on possible plots. On February 21, when Lincoln and his party arrived in Philadelphia, they were warned of threats to the President's life and he reportedly appreciated their suggestions but

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3648-745: 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

3762-443: The Compromise would be a final settlement on the matter of slavery that could unite the nation, it divided his Whig Party, especially when the 1852 Whig National Convention endorsed it to the anger of liberal northerners like Seward. The major candidates for the presidential nomination were President Fillmore, Senator Daniel Webster, and General Scott. Seward supported Scott, who he hoped would, like Harrison, unite enough voters behind

3876-599: The Democrats: the administration wanted Kansas admitted; Senator Douglas demanded a fair ratification vote. The Senate debated the matter through much of early 1858, though few Republicans spoke at first, content to watch the Democrats tear their party to shreds over the issue of slavery. The issue was complicated by the Supreme Court's ruling the previous year in Dred Scott v. Sandford that neither Congress nor

3990-540: The Freeman case, invoking mental illness and racial issues, Seward argued, "he is still your brother, and mine, in form and color accepted and approved by his Father, and yours, and mine, and bears equally with us the proudest inheritance of our race—the image of our Maker. Hold him then to be a Man." Although they were locally contentious, the trials boosted Seward's image across the North. He gained further publicity in association with Ohioan Salmon P. Chase when handling

4104-591: The Kansas–Nebraska Act. Its anti-slavery stance was attractive to Seward, but he needed the Whig structure in New York to get re-elected. In September 1855, the New York Whig and Republican parties held simultaneous conventions that quickly merged into one. Seward was the most prominent figure to join the new party and was spoken of as a possible presidential candidate in 1856. Weed, however, did not feel that

4218-681: The Know Nothing candidate, former president Fillmore. The 1856 campaign played out against the backdrop of " Bleeding Kansas ", the violent efforts of pro- and anti-slavery forces to control the government in Kansas Territory and determine whether it would be admitted as a slave or free state. This violence spilled over into the Senate chamber itself after Republican Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner delivered an incendiary speech against slavery, making personal comments against South Carolina Senator Andrew P. Butler . Sumner had read

4332-712: The New York legislature passed acts in 1840 protecting the rights of blacks against Southern slave-catchers. One guaranteed alleged fugitive slaves the right of a jury trial in New York to establish whether they were slaves, and another pledged the aid of the state to recover free blacks kidnapped into slavery. Seward and Van Buren were both up for re-election in 1840. Seward did not attend the December 1839 Whig National Convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , but Weed did on his behalf. They were determined to support General Winfield Scott for president, but when Weed concluded Scott could not win, he threw New York's support behind

4446-527: The President-elect disguised in a scotch-cap and long cloak, it was claimed that Lincoln was ridiculed. Howard's article was also said to be direct assault on Lincoln's masculinity. The article claimed that Lincoln was reluctant and too scared and to go but compelled to go by Colonel Sumner's indignation and by the insistence and shame of his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln , and several others. Newspapers also lampooned Lincoln for slipping through Baltimore in

4560-716: The Regency from power in New York, permanently. 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. Seward biographer Walter Stahr wrote that his address "brimmed with his youth, energy, ambition, and optimism". Seward took note of America's great unexploited resources and stated that immigration should be encouraged in order to take advantage of them. He urged that citizenship and religious liberty be granted to those who came to New York's shores. At

4674-535: The Senate and when the bill returned after reconciliation with the House. The bill passed into law, but northerners had found a standard around which they could rally. Those in the South defended the new law, arguing that they should have an equal stake through slavery in the territories their blood and money had helped secure. The political turmoil engendered by the North–South divide split both major parties and led to

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4788-407: The South . After many years of 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

4902-535: The Union as free or slave states, and effectively repeal the Missouri Compromise forbidding slavery in new states north of 36° 30′ North latitude. Seward was determined to defeat what he called "this infamous Nebraska Bill," and worked to ensure the final version of the bill would be unpalatable to enough senators, North and South, to defeat it. Seward spoke against the bill both on initial consideration in

5016-484: The Union, and Seward worked to advance his agenda in the Senate. The regular session of Congress that began in December 1849 was dominated by the issue of slavery. Senator Clay advanced a series of resolutions, which became known as the Compromise of 1850 , giving victories to both North and South. Seward opposed the pro-slavery elements of the Compromise, and in a speech on the Senate floor on March 11, 1850, invoked

5130-450: The United States must and will, sooner or later, become entirely either a slave-holding nation, or entirely a free-labor nation." White southerners saw the "irrepressible conflict" speech as a declaration of war, and Seward's vehemence ultimately damaged his chances of gaining the presidential nomination. In 1859, Seward was advised by his political supporters that he would be better off avoiding additional controversial statements, and left

5244-474: The Whigs won a majority in both houses of the state legislature, the extent of their support for Seward as a US senator was unclear. When the election was held by the legislature in February 1855, Seward won a narrow majority in each house. The opposition was scattered, and a Know Nothing party organ denounced two dozen legislators as "traitors". The Republican Party had been founded in 1854, in reaction to

5358-656: The attack. Some Southern newspapers felt that the Sumner precedent might usefully be applied to Seward; the Petersburg Intelligencer , a Virginia periodical, suggested that "it will be very well to give Seward a double dose at least every other day". In a message to Congress in December 1857, President Buchanan advocated the admission of Kansas as a slave state under the Lecompton Constitution , passed under dubious circumstances. This split

5472-549: The attempt being plotted by Abolitionists , who hope to plunge the nation into a war in which slavery will be ended; the plotters are apparent sympathizers with John Brown , who had already been hanged. In reality, the American Civil War actually began in April 1861, with the attack on Fort Sumter . The episode was criticized by author Mark S. Reinhart as historically inaccurate, "too ridiculous" even for Time Tunnel ,

5586-481: The battleground states of Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Lincoln had worked hard to gain a reputation as a moderate in the party and hoped to be seen as a consensus second choice, who might be successful in those critical states, of which the Republicans had to win three to secure the election. Lincoln's men, led by his friend David Davis , were active on his behalf. As Lincoln had not been seen as

5700-489: The center of controversy in Auburn when he defended, in separate cases, two felons accused of murder. Henry Wyatt, a white man, was charged with fatally stabbing a fellow inmate in prison; William Freeman, a black man, was accused of breaking into a house after his release and stabbing four people to death. In both cases, the defendants were likely mentally ill and had been severely abused while in prison. Seward, having long been an advocate of prison reform and better treatment for

5814-780: The coming war, when he repeatedly overestimated Confederate strength and negatively influenced Union Army policy. On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln boarded an eastbound train in Springfield, Illinois , at the start of a whistle-stop tour of 70 towns and cities, ending with his inauguration in Washington, D.C. Allan Pinkerton , head of the Pinkerton Detective Agency , had been hired by railroad officials to investigate suspicious activities and acts of destruction of railroad property along Lincoln's route through Baltimore. Pinkerton became convinced that

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5928-439: The convention; Weed was present on his behalf and worked to shore up Seward's support. He was amply supplied with money: business owners had eagerly given, expecting Seward to be the next president. Weed's reputation was not entirely positive; he was believed corrupt by some, and his association both helped and hurt Seward. Enemies such as publisher and former Seward ally Horace Greeley cast doubts as to Seward's electability in

6042-587: The country for an eight-month tour of Europe and the Middle East. Seward spent two months in London, meeting with the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston , and was presented at Court to Queen Victoria . Seward returned to Washington in January 1860 to find controversy: that some southerners blamed him for his rhetoric, which they believed had inspired John Brown to try to start a slave insurrection. Brown

6156-419: The dead of night. For instance, Adalbert J. Volck , a Baltimore dentist and caricaturist, penned a famous satirical etching titled "Passage through Baltimore". Other newspapers criticized Lincoln's action. For instance, a Vanity Fair cartoon showed Lincoln in a kilt traded for a dress the president had borrowed from his wife. The New York Tribune and Baltimore Sun also denounced Lincoln's actions, with

6270-494: The disappearance and death of William Morgan , a Mason in Upstate New York ; he was most likely killed by fellow Masons for publishing a book revealing the order's secret rites. Since the leading candidate in opposition to President John Quincy Adams was General Andrew Jackson , a Mason who mocked opponents of the order, Anti-Masonry became closely associated with opposition to Jackson, and to his policies once he

6384-490: The election, there was unrest near Albany among tenant farmers on the land owned by Dutch-descended patroons of the van Rensselaer family . These tenancies allowed the landlords privileges such as enlisting the unpaid labor of tenants, and any breach could result in termination of tenure without compensation for improvements. When sheriff's deputies in Albany County were obstructed from serving eviction writs, Seward

6498-540: The election. Seward did his best to stop the southern states from seceding ; once that failed, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Union cause. His firm stance against foreign intervention in the Civil War helped deter the United Kingdom and France from recognizing the independence of the Confederate States . He was one of the targets of the 1865 assassination plot that killed Lincoln and

6612-652: The enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act (an element of the Compromise), widened the divide between North and South. Seward's wife Frances was deeply committed to the abolitionist movement. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their Auburn home as a safehouse to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. Seward's frequent travel and political work suggest that it was Frances who played

6726-474: The eventual winner, General William Henry Harrison . This action outraged supporters of Senator Clay. These grievances would not be quickly forgotten—one supporter of the Kentuckian wrote in 1847 that he was intent on seeing the "punishment of Seward & Co. for defrauding the country of Mr. Clay in 1840". Seward was renominated for a second term by the Whig convention against Democrat William C. Bouck ,

6840-691: The evidence was not substantial. Pinkerton agents also investigated another secret society, the Knights of the Golden Circle , a White supremacist organization, which planned to create "a new nation dominated by slavery," encompassing the American South , Mexico , and the Caribbean region . Other Pinkerton detectives included Hattie Lawton , who posed as Webster's wife, Warne was also said to be instrumental to Lincoln's safe passage to take

6954-476: The fight hopeless. In 1829, Seward was offered the local nomination for New York State Assembly , but again felt there was no prospect of winning. In 1830, with Weed's aid, he gained the Anti-Masonic nomination for state senator for the local district. Seward had appeared in court throughout the district, and had spoken in favor of government support for infrastructure improvements, a position popular there. Weed had moved his operations to Albany, where his newspaper,

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7068-451: 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. He could have practiced in Goshen, but he disliked the town and sought a practice in growing Western New York . Seward decided upon Auburn in Cayuga County , which was about 150 miles (200 km) west of Albany and 200 miles (300 km) northwest of Goshen. He joined

7182-448: The founding of new ones. The American Party (known as the Know Nothings ) contained many nativists and pursued an anti-immigrant agenda. The Know Nothings did not publicly discuss party deliberations (thus, they knew nothing). They disliked Seward, and an uncertain number of Know Nothings sought the Whig nomination to legislative seats. Some made clear their stance by pledging to vote against Seward's re-election, but others did not. Although

7296-457: The governor and the new president John Tyler , who succeeded on Harrison's death after a month in office. McLeod was tried and acquitted in late 1841. Stahr pointed out that Seward got his way in having McLeod tried in a state court, and the diplomatic experience served him well as Secretary of State. Seward continued his support of blacks, signing legislation in 1841 to repeal a "nine-month law" that allowed slaveholders to bring their slaves into

7410-488: The gubernatorial nominee of the Whig Party . Though he was not successful in 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

7524-423: The hopefuls for the Whig nomination for president, spent part of the summer in Upstate New York, and the two men met by chance on a ferry. Seward refused to formally visit Clay at his vacation home in Saratoga Springs in the interests of neutrality, beginning a difficult relationship between the two men. After the 1839 election, the Whigs had 19 seats, allowing the party full control of state government. Following

7638-427: The inauguration and threatened the Regency's control of New York politics. Seward had not run for governor in 1836, but with the Democrats unpopular, saw a path to victory in 1838 (the term was then two years). Other prominent Whigs also sought the nomination. Weed persuaded delegates to the convention that Seward had run ahead of other Whig candidates in 1834; Seward was nominated on the fourth ballot. Seward's opponent

7752-421: The incident became a humiliating cause célèbre across the nation. Several elements of the initial February 23, 1861, article in The New York Times were especially damning. Primarily, the fact that such a negative report came from an ardently Republican newspaper gave it instant credibility, much more than if it had come from another source. When The New York Times published Joseph Howard, Jr. 's account of

7866-455: The insane, sought to prevent each man from being executed by using the relatively new defense of insanity. Seward gained a hung jury in Wyatt's first trial, though he was subsequently convicted in a retrial and executed despite Seward's efforts to secure clemency. Freeman was convicted, though Seward gained a reversal on appeal. There was no second Freeman trial, as officials were convinced of his insanity. Freeman died in prison in late 1846. In

7980-448: The latter saying his presidency was "degraded" by the action. Others reported that as a result of the plot, newspapers and the general public worried they had "elected a weak, indecisive commander-in-chief." Lincoln also regretted slipping through Baltimore, writing to a friend that he "did not then, nor do I now believe I should have been assassinated had I gone through Baltimore..." In his biography of Lincoln, Ward Hill Lamon considered

8094-401: 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. Returning to Auburn, he absorbed himself in a profitable law practice. He did not abandon politics and received former president Adams at the Seward family home in 1843. According to his biographer, John M. Taylor, Seward picked

8208-425: The mayor of Baltimore, George William Brown , criticized the omission of the Baltimore stop as a "shunning" of the city and reported that a "hostile feeling" within the city resulted from the plan's revelation. The large crowd which gathered at the station to see Lincoln were disappointed. Whether or not the president-elect was ever in any real danger of being assassinated, Lincoln's efforts to reach Washington, D.C.,

8322-751: The more active role in Auburn abolitionist activities. In the excitement following the rescue and safe transport of fugitive slave William "Jerry" Henry in Syracuse on October 1, 1851, Frances wrote to her husband, "two fugitives have gone to Canada—one of them our acquaintance John". Another time she wrote, "A man by the name of William Johnson will apply to you for assistance to purchase the freedom of his daughter. You will see that I have given him something by his book. I told him I thought you would give him more." In January 1854, Democratic Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced his Kansas–Nebraska Bill . This would permit territories to choose whether to join

8436-399: The most urgent matters, and he initially found himself unable to advance much of his agenda. Accordingly, the 1839 legislative elections were crucial to Seward's legislative hopes, and to advancing the nominations of many Whigs to state office whose posts required Senate confirmation. Both Seward and President Van Buren gave several speeches across New York State that summer. Henry Clay, one of

8550-524: The new party was strong enough on a national level to secure the presidency, and advised Seward to wait until 1860. When Seward's name was mentioned at the 1856 Republican National Convention , a huge ovation broke out. In the 1856 presidential election , the Democratic candidate, former Pennsylvania senator James Buchanan , defeated the Republican, former California senator John C. Frémont , and

8664-618: The old, and when there was unrest, they hired Seward, popular in Western New York, in hopes of adjusting the matter. He was successful, and when the Panic of 1837 began, persuaded the owners to avoid foreclosures where possible. He also, in 1838, arranged the purchase of the company's holdings by a consortium that included himself. Van Buren had been elected president in 1836; even with his other activities, Seward had found time to campaign against him. The economic crisis came soon after

8778-428: The one to uncover the Baltimore Plot, but unlike Powell's movie character, he was not actually on the scene. Moreover, Kennedy was in reality the superintendent of the entire force. In the film, he is simply a detective sergeant . "The Death Trap," an episode of the 1966–1967 television series The Time Tunnel , includes the 1861 Baltimore plot. The episode depicts a bomb being used in the 1861 Baltimore plot and has

8892-542: The other opposed him. Van Buren, over a quarter century, held a series of senior posts, generally in the federal government. His allies were dubbed the Albany Regency , as they governed for Van Buren while he was away. Seward originally supported the Regency, but by 1824 had broken from it, concluding that it was corrupt. He became part of the Anti-Masonic Party , which became widespread in 1826 after

9006-498: The plan to be part of Pinkerton's "political ambitions" and believed that the plan was fictitious. He argued that the list of subjects from Pinkerton lacked any influential individuals, even though Thomas Holliday Hicks , then the Governor of Maryland had called on Lincoln and his entourage to be killed by some "good men". Lamon had also reportedly offered Lincoln a revolver and bowie knife to defend himself, but Pinkerton had rejected

9120-493: The possibility of him meeting John Wilkes Booth led to the opera The Moustache , by Hollis Thoms, which imagined a possible meeting between the two individuals. It included a scene where Ferrandini "talks about a speech given by Lincoln prior to his inauguration in 1861," which Pinkerton's operatives had listened to. In 1951, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) released a fictional re-creation of the alleged plot against Lincoln entitled The Tall Target . Its story generally follows what

9234-674: The practice of law at the start of 1835. That year, Seward and his wife undertook a lengthy trip, going as far south as Virginia. Although they were hospitably received by southerners, the Sewards saw scenes of slavery which confirmed them as its opponents. The following year, Seward accepted a position as agent for the new owners of the Holland Land Company , which owned large tracts of land in Western New York, upon which many settlers were purchasing real estate on installment. The new owners were viewed as less forgiving landlords than

9348-411: The practice of retired judge Elijah Miller , whose daughter Frances Adeline Miller was a classmate of his sister Cornelia at Emma Willard 's Troy Female Seminary . Seward married Frances Miller on October 20, 1824. In 1824, Seward was journeying with his wife to Niagara Falls when one of the wheels on his carriage was damaged while they passed through Rochester . Among those who came to their aid

9462-476: The president-elect on his journey to Washington, D.C. Two months after his journey, Baltimore citizens attacked a Union Army regiment from Massachusetts as it marched through the city on its way to Washington. When Virginia seceded and joined the Confederacy, it became necessary for Lincoln to cross Maryland to reach Washington, therefore potentially dangerous for the Republican president-elect to pass through

9576-474: The pro-Confederate National Volunteers. One of Pinkerton's operatives attended a meeting in which Ferrandini made a fiery speech condemning Lincoln; after interviewing Ferrandini, they learned of several reported plans to assassinate Lincoln. While only reports from Pinkerton's operatives tied Ferrandini to the assassination conspiracy, he traveled to Mexico in 1860 to "train with a secessionist militia" and met Jerome N. Bonaparte and Thomas Winans, two individuals in

9690-495: The root of crime". Seward's stance was popular among Catholic immigrants, but was disliked by nativists ; their opposition would eventually help defeat his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860. Although the Assembly had a Whig majority at the start of Seward's first term as governor, the party had only 13 legislators out of 32 in the state Senate. The Democrats refused to cooperate with Governor Seward except on

9804-427: The sectional divide mingled, were a Washington legend. With an eye to a presidential bid in 1860, Seward tried to appear a statesman who could be trusted by both North and South. Seward did not believe the federal government could mandate emancipation but that it would develop by action of the slave states as the nation urbanized and slavery became uneconomical, as it had in New York. Southerners still believed that he

9918-407: The senator, in his speech, said that Brown was justly punished. The Republican National Committee ordered 250,000 copies in pamphlet form, and eventually twice that many were printed. Weed sometimes expressed certainty that Seward would be nominated; at other times he expressed gloom at the thought of the convention fight. He had some reason for doubt, as word from Weed's agents across the country

10032-447: The state for a period of nine months before they were considered free. After this, slaves brought to the state were immediately considered freed. Seward also signed legislation to establish public education for all children, leaving it up to local jurisdictions as to how that would be supplied (some had segregated schools). As governor, Seward incurred considerable personal debt not only because he had to live beyond his salary to maintain

10146-478: The suggestion, and Lincoln declined Lamon's offer. It was also said that the plan increased "growing tension" in Maryland, which was already politically divided, with Baltimore remaining a divided city throughout the Civil War. In 1891, author L.E. Chittenden argued that there was no need for any precautions, such as a disguise, because Lincoln "entered the sleeping–car at Philadelphia, and slept until awakened within

10260-474: The time, New York City's public schools were run by Protestants , and used Protestant texts, including the King James Bible . Seward believed the current system was a barrier to literacy for the children of Catholic immigrants and proposed legislation to change it. Education, he stated, "banishes the distinctions, old as time, of rich and poor, master and slave. It banishes ignorance and lays axe to

10374-747: The unsuccessful appeal in the United States Supreme Court of John Van Zandt , an anti-slavery advocate sued by a slaveowner for assisting blacks in escaping on the Underground Railroad . Chase was impressed with Seward, writing that the former New York governor "was one of the very first public men in our country. Who but himself would have done what he did for the poor wretch Freeman?" The main Whig contenders in 1848 were Clay again, and two war hero generals with little political experience, Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor . Seward supported General Taylor. The former governor

10488-485: Was elected as the 16th President of the United States , a Republican , and the first to be elected from that party . Shortly after his election, many representatives from the South made it clear that the Confederacy 's secession from the U.S. was inevitable, which greatly increased tension across the nation. Allan Pinkerton was commissioned by the railroad's president, Samuel M. Felton , to provide security for

10602-426: Was elected president in 1828 . Governor DeWitt Clinton had nominated Seward as Cayuga County Surrogate in late 1827 or early 1828, but as Seward was unwilling to support Jackson, he was not confirmed by the state Senate. During the 1828 campaign, Seward made speeches in support of President Adams's re-election. Seward was nominated for the federal House of Representatives by the Anti-Masons, but withdrew, deeming

10716-444: Was "unwise" or whether the plot was authentic, saying it is "hard to know" the reality, and added that if the plot existed, it was "at most ad hoc, poorly organized and probably destined to fail." Scholar Allen C. Guelzo called the plot an "interesting footnote" to the 1860 election and Lincoln's inauguration which was not worth additional attention, and argued that the plan gave Lincoln "the wrong lesson about his own safety" Lisa Mann of

10830-413: Was a small rural village of perhaps a dozen homes. Young Seward attended school there, and also in the nearby county seat of Goshen . He was a bright student who enjoyed his studies. In later years, one of the former family slaves would relate that instead of running away from school to go home, Seward would run away from home to go to school. At the age of 15, Henry—he was known by his middle name as

10944-540: Was accepted as an adult for the first time. He was treated hospitably but also witnessed the ill-treatment of slaves. Seward was persuaded to return to New York by his family and did so in June 1819. As it was too late for him to graduate with his class, he studied law at an attorney's office in Goshen before returning to Union College, securing his degree with highest honors in June 1820. After graduation, Seward spent much of

11058-457: Was again Marcy, and the economy the principal issue. The Whigs argued that the Democrats were responsible for the recession. As it was thought improper for candidates for major office to campaign in person, Seward left most of that to Weed. Seward was elected by a margin of about 10,000 votes out of 400,000 cast. The victory was the most significant for the Whig Party to that point, and eliminated

11172-551: 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 a prominent figure in the Republican Party in its formative years , and was praised for his work on behalf of the Union as Secretary of State during

11286-432: Was asked to call out the militia. After an all-night cabinet meeting, he did so, though quietly assuring the tenants that he would intervene with the legislature. This mollified the settlers, though Seward proved unable to get the legislature to pass reforming laws. This question of tenants' rights was not settled until after Seward had left office. In September 1839, a ship sailing from Norfolk, Virginia , to New York City

11400-600: Was asked to run for president by members of the Liberty Party ; he declined and reluctantly supported the Whig nominee, Clay. The Kentuckian was defeated by Democrat James K. Polk . The major event of Polk's administration was the Mexican–American War ; Seward did not support this, feeling that the price in blood was not worth the increase in territory, especially as southerners were promoting this acquisition to expand territory for slavery. In 1846, Seward became

11514-600: 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 his wife 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. Florida, located some 60 miles (100 km) north of New York City and west of the Hudson River ,

11628-493: Was captured and executed; nevertheless, Mississippi representatives Reuben Davis and Otho Singleton each stated that if Seward or another Radical Republican was elected, he would meet with the resistance of a united South. To rebut such allegations, and to set forth his views in the hope of receiving the nomination, Seward made a major speech in the Senate on February 29, 1860, which most praised, though white southerners were offended, and some abolitionists also objected because

11742-576: Was discovered to have an escaped slave on board. The slave was returned to his owner pursuant to the Fugitive Slave Clause of the Constitution, but Virginia also demanded that three free black sailors, said to have concealed the fugitive aboard ship, be surrendered to its custody. This Seward would not do, and the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation inhibiting trade with New York. With Seward's encouragement,

11856-582: Was elected, and the split in the New York Democratic Party allowed the Whigs to capture the legislature. State legislatures elected U.S. senators until the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. One of New York's seats was up for election in 1849, and a Whig would likely be elected to replace John Adams Dix . Seward, with Weed's counsel, decided to seek the seat. When legislators convened in January 1849, he

11970-487: Was less enthusiastic about the vice-presidential candidate, New York State Comptroller Millard Fillmore , a rival of his from Buffalo. Nevertheless, he campaigned widely for the Whigs against the Democratic presidential candidate, former Michigan senator Lewis Cass . The two major parties did not make slavery an issue in the campaign. The Free Soil Party , mostly Liberty Party members and some Northern Democrats, nominated former president Van Buren. The Taylor/Fillmore ticket

12084-421: Was local newspaper publisher Thurlow Weed . Seward and Weed would become closer in the years ahead as they found they shared a belief that government policies should promote infrastructure improvements, such as roads and canals. Weed, deemed by some to be one of the earliest political bosses , would become a major ally of Seward. Despite the benefits to Seward's career from Weed's support, perceptions that Seward

12198-592: Was mixed. Many in the Midwest did not want the issue of slavery to dominate the campaign, and with Seward as the nominee, it inevitably would. The Know Nothing Party was still alive in the Northeast, and was hostile to Seward for his pro-immigrant stance, creating doubts as to whether Seward could win Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where there were many nativists, in the general election. These states were crucial to

12312-585: Was not fearful or agitated. Frederick W. Seward , the son of William Seward, would provide a similar warning. Two days later, on February 23, Lincoln, Pinkerton, Kate Warne and the rest of Lincoln's party traveled through Baltimore without anyone recognizing them, and made it to Washington, D.C. , and then to the Willard Hotel . Following the safe arrival of Lincoln, Pinkerton met James H. Luckett , his informant, who claimed he had foiled another assassination plot against Lincoln. While no harm came to Lincoln,

12426-448: Was regarded as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination. Several factors, including attitudes to his vocal opposition to slavery, his support for immigrants and Catholics , and his association with editor and political boss Thurlow Weed , worked against him, and Abraham Lincoln secured the presidential nomination . Although devastated by his loss, he campaigned for Lincoln, who appointed him Secretary of State after winning

12540-467: Was seriously wounded by conspirator Lewis Powell . Seward remained in his post through the presidency of Andrew Johnson , during which he negotiated the Alaska Purchase in 1867 and supported Johnson during his impeachment . His contemporary Carl Schurz described Seward as "one of those spirits who sometimes will go ahead of public opinion instead of tamely following its footprints". Seward

12654-415: Was spoken of as the favorite. Some opposed him as too extreme on slavery issues and intimated that he would not support the slaveholding President-elect Taylor, a Louisianan. Weed and Seward worked to dispel these concerns, and when the vote for the Senate seat took place, the former governor received five times the vote of the nearest other candidate, gaining election on the first ballot . William Seward

12768-428: 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. Taking advantage of an acquaintance with Taylor's brother, Seward met with the former general several times before Inauguration Day (March 4) and was friendly with Cabinet officers. Taylor hoped to gain the admission of California to

12882-405: Was threatening the forcible ending of slavery. While campaigning for Republicans in the 1858 midterm elections, Seward gave a speech at Rochester that proved divisive and quotable, alleging that the U.S. had two "antagonistic systems [that] are continually coming into closer contact, and collision results ... It is an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces, and it means that

12996-497: Was too much controlled by Weed became a factor in the former's defeat for the Republican nomination for president in 1860. Almost from the time he settled in Auburn, Seward involved himself in politics. At that time, the political system was in flux as new parties evolved. In New York State, there were generally two factions, which went by varying names, but were characterized by the fact that Martin Van Buren led one element, and

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