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William H. Seward (1801-1872) was Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson in 1861-1869. He was previously a lawyer, the 12th governor of New York and a U.S. senator from New York in the antebellum era. He was an outspoken critic of slavery and a leading figure in the early Republican Party. However, during the secession crisis, Seward tried to keep the remaining slave states in the Union by offering concessions and protections for the “peculiar institution” and ultimately voted against the Crittenden Compromise.
During the Civil War, Seward was a key figure in keeping European powers from openly supporting the Confederacy. As Secretary of
State, Seward was third in line for the presidency and was targeted
for assassination as part of the plot in 1865 during which Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Lewis Powell was sent to kill Seward, who was convalescing from a carriage accident. He beat Frederick Seward unconscious before stabbing Seward in the face and neck, but Seward survived the attack, in part due to the splint he was wearing to treat his prior injuries. Powell also injured Augustus Seward, Sergeant George F. Robinson who was guarding the Seward home, and State Department messenger Emerick Hansell. After recovering, Seward continued to serve under President Johnson but had less influence than he had under Lincoln, but successfully concluded the Alaska Purchase.