‘The Sewards of New York’: An Influential American Family

Henry Seward and his extended family were involved in many important 19th-century events.

Thomas P. Slaughter tells an intriguing biography of an important family, in "The Sewards of New York: A Biography of a Leading American Political Family." Three Hills; Richard Baker/University of Rochester

William Henry Seward (1801–1872), known to family and friends as Henry, was one of the most influential U.S. politicians of the 19th century. A founder of the Republican Party, he began 1860 as frontrunner for the Republican presidential candidate. After losing the nomination to Abraham Lincoln, he served as Lincoln’s Secretary of State. Today he is best known as the man behind the 1867 purchase of the Alaska Territory.

“The Sewards of New York” by Thomas P. Slaughter is a biography of Seward and his extended family, starting with his grandparents and ending with his grandchildren. Its focus is Seward’s career from 1820 through 1860.