# William H. Seward — The Education of Henry Adams character guide

> William H. Seward in The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Seward, Seward, Superficially Mr. Seward, Secretary Seward, Governor Seward

**First appearance:** 0010-viii-diplomacy-1861

## Snapshot

Lincoln's Secretary of State, one of the 'considerable professors' in Henry Adams's diplomatic education, whose conduct of foreign affairs shaped the young secretary's Washington apprenticeship.

## Who they are

Seward stood at the center of American diplomacy during the Civil War, one of the professors employed by the American Government in what Adams called his education at public expense. When Henry returned from Europe in 1860, plunging into the lurid atmosphere of secession winter, Seward was already a dominant figure in the incoming administration. For the young man serving as his father's private secretary, Seward represented the practical, tangled reality of American statecraft—a counterweight to the British tutors and a reminder that education came from watching power operate, not from books.

## In the story

### [Rome (1859–1860)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/vi-rome-1859-1860)

Supported by Charles Francis Adams for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860.

### [VII: Treason (1860–1861)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/vii-treason-1860-1861)

Governor and Senator, leading the Administration's efforts to keep Virginia in the Union; admired by Henry for his charm and unselfishness.

### [VIII: Diplomacy (1861)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/viii-diplomacy-1861)

Secretary of State and personal friend of Charles Francis Adams, whose appointment was the result of his friendship.

### [X: Political Morality (1862)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/x-political-morality-1862)

Secretary of State who sends Weed and other Americans to London to influence European opinion.

### [Eccentricity (1863)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/xii-eccentricity-1863)

Mentioned as part of the American type that holds its own against British force.

### [The Press (1868)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/chapters/xvi-the-press-1868)

Still Secretary of State in 1868, appearing aged and resigned, but still kindly and free in talk.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_education_of_henry_adams_se/characters/william_seward
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