Existing comment:
William H. Seward, 1801-1872:
When William Henry Seward lost the Republican nomination in 1860 to Abraham Lincoln, many people felt it was a "sacrifice of commanding ability in favor of respectable mediocrity." But Seward's belief that the struggle between the slave and free states was "an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces" had made him some unforgiving enemies. In the end, Seward supported Lincoln actively and became his secretary of state. So closely was he associated with Lincoln's policies that he was attacked on the night the president was assassinated, in an unsuccessful attempt to cripple the government. |