Seward, William Henry
Entry from US Dictionary
Pronunciation: /ˈso͞o(w)ərd/
- (1801–72), US statesman and politician. An outspoken anti-slavery politician, he was governor of New York 1839–43, US senator 1849–61, and US secretary of state 1861–69. In 1867, he negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia, a purchase that was widely mocked as “Seward’s Icebox” and “Seward’s Folly.”.