William H. Seward

portrait of William H. Seward c. 1859, restoration by Adam Cuerden, U.S. Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division, cph.3a23003.

Birth Name: William Henry Seward

Date of Birth: May 16, 1801

Place of Birth: Florida, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: October 10, 1872

Place of Death: Auburn, New York, U.S.

Ethnicity: English

William H. Seward was an American politician. A member of the Anti-Masonic, the Whig, and later the Republican, Party, he was Governor of New York, from January 1, 1839 to December 31, 1842, a U.S. Senator from New York, from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1861, and the U.S. Secretary of State, from March 5, 1861 to March 4, 1869.

He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1856 and 1860.

William was the son of Mary (Jennings) and Samuel Swayze/Sweezy/Swezy Seward, a physician, jurist, businessperson, and politician. He was married to Frances Adeline (Miller) Seward, until her death. The couple had five children, including career U.S. Army officer Augustus Henry Seward, Republican Party politician Frederick W. Seward, banker and U.S. Army brigadier general William H. Seward, Jr., and Fanny Seward. William also adopted writer Olive Risley Seward, co-founder of the Literary Society of Washington.

William’s paternal grandfather was John Seward (the son of Obadiah Seward and Isabelle Luce). John was born in New Jersey. Obadiah was the son of Obediah Seward and Dinah Biggs. Isabelle was the daughter of Eleazer Luce and Sarah Wines.

William’s paternal grandmother was Mary Swayze (the daughter of Samuel Swayze and Penelope Horton). Mary was born in New York. Samuel was the son of Joseph Swasey, who was born in Massachusetts, to English parents, and of Mary Betts, whose parents were also English. Penelope was the daughter of Barnabas Horton and Sarah Wines.

William’s maternal grandfather was Isaac Jennings (the son of Richard Jennings and Phoebe Allison). Isaac was born in New York, to English parents.

William’s maternal grandmother was Margaret Jackson (the daughter of Thomas Jackson and Elizabeth). Margaret was born in New York.

Sources: Genealogies of William H. Seward – https://www.geni.com
https://findagrave.com