The Sewards of New York :A Biography of a Leading American Political Family
The Sewards of New York :A Biography of a Leading American Political Family
hardback
Published:
15 October, 2025
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Description
The Sewards of New York shines a light on one of the most important and fascinating political families of the nineteenth century. Through recently discovered family correspondence, Thomas P. Slaughter unveils the inner lives of the Seward family, tracing their joys and sorrows as the nation grappled with rapid expansion and deepening divisions on its path to the Civil War.
William Henry Seward, the family's most prominent member, was a state senator, governor, US senator, and secretary of state. Henry, as his family knew him, was often absent from their Auburn, NY, home, in Albany or Washington, DC, and so remained connected to the family through the long letters numbering in the thousands that they exchanged. These writings reveal Henry as a son, brother, husband, and father, as much as they show him as a politician and statesman. But it is his wife, Frances, who is the hub around which this family story revolves. Slaughter explores the extended Auburn family during a half century of profound change in American homes, marriage, and childrearing.
With an eye for the provocative and revealing, Slaughter takes us behind the curtain of the early Victorian era's private sphere. He, and the Sewards in their own words, portray life as it was lived by the influential and powerful, but also by many who lived more private lives that are now lost to us. The Sewards of New York paints a rich portrait of an extraordinary family that played a key role in nineteenth-century New York and national politics.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781501782657 |
| ISBN10 | 1501782657 |
| Number Of Pages | 488 |
| Item Weight | 907 g |
| Product Dimensions | 152 x 229 x 35 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Cornell University Press |
| Format | hardback |
Media Reviews
"The author crafts an intimate family portrait." – The Wall Street Journal
"The tome includes countless references to the Capital Region (Seward served as both governor of New York and as a member of the state Senate in Albany). It also provides intimate glimpses into the lives of a family rocked by war and violence (an injured and bedridden Seward was viciously stabbed by one of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators; three of Seward's children were present during the attempted murder)." – Saratoga TODAY
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Thomas P. Slaughter is the Arthur R. Miller Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Rochester. He is the author of Independence, Exploring Lewis and Clark, and The Whiskey Rebellion.