Skip to main content

William Henry Seward

William Henry Seward
Artist
Giovanni Maria Benzoni, 1809 - 1873
Sitter
William Henry Seward, 16 May 1801 - 15 Oct 1872
Date
1872
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
With Socle: 72.1 x 48.3 x 27.3cm (28 3/8 x 19 x 10 3/4")
Topic
William Henry Seward: Male
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\US Senator\New York
William Henry Seward: Law and Crime\Lawyer
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Statesman
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; bequest of Sara Carr Upton in memory of Olive Risley Seward, 1931
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.65.39
Exhibition Label
Born Florida, New York
When William H. Seward lost the Republican nomination in 1860 to Abraham Lincoln, many people felt that it was a “sacrifice of commanding ability in favor of respectable mediocrity.” But Seward’s belief that the struggle between the slave and free states was “an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces” had made him some unforgiving enemies. In the end, Seward supported Lincoln actively and became his secretary of state. So closely was he associated with Lincoln’s policies that he was attacked on the night the president was assassinated, in an unsuccessful attempt to cripple the government.
Provenance
Sara Carr Upton; bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art 1931; transferred to NPG 1965
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view