New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-24

OBErUAR
William II. Seward.

"6lkfAHl sew
h,;ar TELEGRAM announces the death of
Ex-Governor William ii. Seward, yesterday
afternoon. at his residence in Auburn. The
sad event was not wholly unexpected, as Mr..
Seward had been in feeble health for some
time.
INC decrease of Mr.. Seward removes an
other Of those men who stood firm and stead
fast in their loyalty to the Union in the days
of its darkest peril when the TIDE OF seccs-
sion babe fair to destroy the nation and over
throw the work achieved by the Revolution
and the succeeding years OF progress and
nrosnerity. That devoted group of patriotic
menLIincoln, stanton, and Seward-havc
now all gone to their eternal rest, but the
naces of American history will forever be
the brighter and clearer for the deeds per-
formed by them. Had not they remained
firm to their convictions, and struggled TO.
oether TO carry on the war to successful
close. despite the efforts OF doubling and
waverng leaders, the present prosperity and
peace that now besses the land ana the peo-
Pile could not have been secured. 10 these
three patriots the country is in no slight de-
Gree. indebted for its existing strength, place,
and mower among the nations OF the world.
Unlike either Lincoln or Stanton, Mr..
Seward occupied prominent place in Amerl-
can politics and history during his whole lie,
even in the davs when Clay, Webster, and
Calhoun stood forth as leaders to the people.
He entered political life at an early age, and
ALWAYS stood in the first rank among MS
peers, A sketch of MIR. Stewards career is
therefore an outline OF American progress
during the past half century.
William Henry Seward was born IN tlorl-
da. Orange county, New York, May lG, 1901,
being in the seyenty-second year ofhis age at
tho time Of his death. His ancestors were OF
Welsh extraction on his fathers side, and OF
Irish on his mothers. Mr.. Stewards father,
Samuel s. Seward, who died in 1919, was a
physician. and combined with his profession
a large mercantile business, by which he Sc
cured a fortune, and he occupied for seven
teen wears the position of first Judge IN
Orange county. The first of the Seward
family in America cmgrated from Wales
during the reign of Queen Anne, and settled
in Connecticut A branch of the family, from
which Mr.. Seward is descended, removed to
Morris county, New Jersey, about the year
I7io. This branch again divided, one por-
tion of which removed to Virginia, where it
is still found in considerable numbers, as
well as in Georgia and Kentucky. His pa
ternal grandfather, John Seward, resided in
Sussex county, in that state, where he sus-
tanned a high reputation Tor enterprise, integ-
rity. and ability. On the breaking out of the
the Whig party, and on more than one occa-
sion during the long struggle was engaged in
active service. In 1910, when William
Henry was nine wears old, he was sent to
an academy at Goshen, New York, at which
institution Noah Webster and Aaron Burr
received the rudments of their education.
At the age of fifteen years young Seward had
made such progress in his studies as to
enable him TO qualify for the junior class oi
IL, ha INTO tho cor>hp.
more class. While in College he maintained
a high rank in his class. In 1919, and while
a senior, he spent six months as a teacher in
Georgia, an experience that gave him an in
sight into the evils of slavery, and subse-
Quently led him TO oppose the system in at
ter wears. At the Commencement exercises,
when he graduated from College, MIR. Sew
ard received one of the three appointments
of orator, and then gave much promise OF his
extraordinary power and abilities in that line.
After his graduation he entered the Office
of John Anthem, OF New York city, rs a stu
dent of law, and aiterward completed his
preparaton for the legal profession with John
Duer and Ogden Hoffman, of Goshen. He
was admitted to the bar in January, 1922,
and removed 10 Auburn, New York, where
he entered into partnership with Judge John
Miller, whose youngest daughter he married
two years after. Here he soon became quite
successful in the practice of the law.
Mr.. Seward's first appearance in the pO-
litical arena occurred in 1894, when he was
chosen by the Republican Convention of
Cavura county TO draw M an address to the
people. a doc ument which took strong grounds
of opposition to the Democratic combination
then known rs the ALBANY Regency" In
lSoS he presided over n convention of young
men. held at Utica, to favor the reelection
Of John Quincy Adams to the Presidency.
During the same year he declined Il nominal
ton to Congress, but two years later became
the candidate OF the Anti-MasOns for the
State Senate, to which he was elected by a
large majority, in a district where the vote
had previously been strong in favor of the
opposite party. He was at that time the
Youngest man who had ever been chosen to
the Senate of the State of New York, and
belonged to party which was greatly in the
minority in that body; nevertheless, he came
out boldly i'm opposition to the Albany Re-
gency" and the party of Gen. Jackson, and
advocated the measures of his own party with
great boldness and eminent ability. His
speeches on the national bank and other
questions relating to the General Government
had an important influence in the formation
Of the new political party, afterward known
as the Wings. During the recess of the Le-
gislature, in the summer of 1888, Mr.. Seward
made short trip to Europe, and during his
absence contributed letters to the Albany
Ereniag Journal, which were widely read, and
added greatly to his public reputation. After
having run unsuccessfully as candidate for
Governor, against William L. Marcy in 1884,