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Seward

Lincoln's Indispensable Man

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Seward

By: Walter Stahr
Narrated by: William Dufris
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From one of our most acclaimed new biographers - the first full life of the leader of Lincoln’s "team of rivals" to appear in more than 40 years. William Henry Seward was one of the most important Americans of the 19th century. Progressive governor of New York and outspoken U.S. senator, he was the odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination for president. As secretary of state and Lincoln’s closest adviser during the Civil War, Seward not only managed foreign affairs but had a substantial role in military, political, and personnel matters.

Some of Lincoln’s critics even saw Seward, erroneously, as the power behind the throne; this is why John Wilkes Booth and his colleagues attempted to kill Seward as well as Lincoln. Seward survived the assassin’s attack, continued as secretary of state, and emerged as a staunch supporter of President Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s controversial successor. Through his purchase of Alaska ("Seward’s Folly"), and his groundwork for the purchase of the Canal Zone and other territory, Seward set America on course to become a world empire.

Seward was not only important, he was fascinating. Most nights this well-known raconteur with unruly hair and untidy clothes would gather diplomats, soldiers, politicians, or actors around his table to enjoy a cigar, a drink, and a good story. Drawing on hundreds of sources not available to or neglected by previous biographers, Walter Stahr sheds new light on this complex and central figure, as well as on pivotal events of the Civil War and its aftermath.

©2012 Walter Stahr (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Americas Diplomacy Historical International Relations Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government United States Abraham Lincoln War Military Latin America Civil War Biography
Well-researched Biography • Compelling Historical Account • Unbiased Perspective • Fascinating Details • Good Narration
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I highly recommended this book for everyone. Although we all know a lot about Lincoln, I think you will agree that this book about Seward will offer many fascinating details that you may not know.

Most interesting and educational

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This book is superb -- absorbing and well-written. But the Audible reader is terribly annoying. He's apparently an actor and tries to mimic the different voices contained in quotations in the book. He should not. His voice imitations are poorly done, and in the case of the women they are offensive -- he makes them sound mindless, insipid, and stupid. Book is outstanding but the reader should never again be employed by Audible.

Book is outstanding!; Audible reader is annoying

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A great story. Beyond the purchase of Alaska I knew little. I recommend it.

Seward

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A must read for anyone with the slightest interest in the American history and politics, or in the lives of those who have positively changed the course of bistory.

This book is best read and listend simultaneously.

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Walter Stahr’s biography of William Henry Seward is well researched and well written. Stahr has gone into detail about Seward’s life and he has done a good job presenting an unbiased view. He has pointed out common reports and proves they are false or true. Stahr also has gone into detail about opposing viewpoints about Seward, tells us what he can prove and what he cannot thereby allowing the reader to make up their own minds on the issue. Seward was an interesting man. He was a successful lawyer in Auburn, New York he appeared to be interested in politics from an early age. He was a New York state senator in 1830, was governor of New York in 1869 and a Federal Senator. In 1860 he became Lincoln’s Secretary of State. I found it interesting that he was so involved in domestic issues as the Secretary of State. Of course, he did work hard on foreign issues such as working to keep England and France from recognizing the Confederacy. He kept the U.S. from being involved with fighting in Mexico to kick out the French and Austrians. He helped remove them by diplomacy. I was unaware that there were other attempted assassinations when Booth killed Lincoln. Seward was injured in a horse carriage accident and had a fractured jaw and shoulder and was home in bed when the assassin stabbed him in neck and jaw. Family members pulled the man off him before he was able to complete his job. Seward is famous as the man who bought Alaska but most of the information provided in the book was new knowledge for me. William Dufris did a good job in narrating the book. If you are interested in history this is a book for you.

an intriguing man

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Seward does not appear to be as wise or "good" as Lincoln but he was a man of broader dreams, perhaps than ANY President and a better communicator than any too. His "edits" as contributions to the Presidents speeches, orders and documents took them from very good,,, to Historically wise and clear.

His work as attorney, Governor, Senator and chief advisor to the President was all marvelous. Yet this book does not hesitate to show him as seen by his fellow citizens and enemies.
I can compare to a eye exam. You begin knowing how the world looks. But as it continues things become much more clear than you imagine. Sharper of focus and more real in color. And when finished you say, "Ah! THAT is what the world truly looks like!"

This book will truly improve your understanding of our country and its most dangerous time!

One of 5 or 10 best bio's ever written about a American.

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What an insight of the relationship between Lincoln and Seward. I think he was Lincoln’s indispensable man.

Truly an American Visionary!

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William Henry Seward was one of the most interesting American politicians of the 19th century--governor of New York, senator, and lastly Secretary of State during the Lincoln and A. Johnson administrations (the author says that he's considered to have been the second best secretary of state of all, after John Quincy Adams). He was also a principled and tireless opponent of slavery, who not only fought for its end but who risked his political career to represent victimized blacks in court.

Since this is the first full-fledged Seward biography in many years, I had high hopes for it. While Stahr delivers on what he chooses to tell, his interests are too narrow to do justice to the man. He's really only interested in Seward's eight years as secretary of state. The events of these momentous years, which of course include the Civil War, are carefully set out and thoughtfully discussed, but he ignores a large part of what makes Seward so interesting.

I first read about Seward's earlier life and career in Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, and that made me eager to learn more about him. But Stahr disappoints here--the early portions of the book give a pretty perfunctory account of his first 60 years. Unlike Goodwin, Stahr doesn't seem to care how Seward's life before 1861 made him into the man who helped save the Union and guide it through the post-war years. He doesn't really appear to be interested in the man at all as much as the events he was involved with. I wonder why he didn't just write a book about Seward's years as secretary of state.

He's also surprisingly uninterested in Seward's personal relationship with Lincoln, which was as close as Lincoln allowed others to get. Lincoln valued Seward as an advisor, but they also shared a similar sense of humor and an interest in drama and poetry, and would often escape the intense pressure of the war years by reading or going to the theater together.

If he's uninterested in Seward's earlier political and professional life, he ignores the man's personal life almost completely. Seward's wife, Frances, was a very interesting woman, a feminist ahead of her time, and the two shared a close bond despite all the time they spent apart. Stahr hardly mentions Frances from the time of her marriage to the time of her death. This is the conventional masculine approach to history, one that relegates a subject's personal life to footnotes, but it's one that's receding into the past, thanks in part to the work of historians like Goodwin. I couldn't help wishing that she had written the book.

I Wish Doris Kearns Goodwin Had Written This

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This was a most enjoyable read about Seward and his long successful life. Walter Stahr’s writing gains strength about a third of the way through the book but that is partly due to the subject matter. Stahr’s ability to tell the life story of Seward was compelling perhaps because he spends an appropriate amount of time focusing on lesser details/storylines of Seward. This makes the reader feel they are learning about the man AND his personality/feelings during difficult times in his life. He does not rely overly on the use of quotes from letters and articles written during the time but each seemed well chose. Stahr also did a good job of inserting the works of other historians to support his points even if they contain contradicting points of view.

Enjoyable and well written

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The book pointed out Seward’s good and bad of his political career. Great read for a great statesman

Unbiased book

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