The William H. Seward House (1801–1872) was the home of William H. Seward

William H. Seward

William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...

, who was a state senator, governor of New York

Governor of New York

The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

, U.S. senator, presidential candidate, and then Secretary of State under presidents Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 and Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

. Among other notable accomplishments, he negotiated the 1867 purchase of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, later known as "Seward's Folly", but ultimately a major triumph of statesmanship. Although he spent many years in Albany

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 and Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, he called this house his home from the time of his marriage in 1824 until his death. The house was originally built by his father-in-law, Judge Elijah Miller

Elijah Miller

Elijah Miller was a lawyer and judge in Auburn, New York. His daughter, Frances Adeline Miller Seward, married future U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward in 1824. Seward was a junior partner in Miller's law practice...

, in 1816, then substantially modified by the Sewards in 1840, then again in 1866, to accommodate the diplomatic entertainments expected of his office. The original, 10-room, brick house was expanded to over 30 rooms and was occupied by blood relatives until 1951. The entire house remains furnished with extensive Seward-family collections.

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

in 1964.

External links

• Official site: SewardHouse.Org