Assembly Resolution No. 538
BY: M. of A. Brabenec
COMMEMORATING the 221st Birthday of William H.
Seward, former New York State Senator, former New
York State Governor, former United States Senator,
former United States Secretary of State, and
purchaser of Alaska
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate the
221st Birthday of William H. Seward, former New York State Senator,
former New York State Governor, former United States Senator, former
United States Secretary of State, and purchaser of Alaska; and
WHEREAS, In observance of this auspicious occasion, a special
birthday celebration will be held at the Seward Memorial Site located in
the Village of Florida on Saturday, May 14, 2022, with live music,
speeches and various family activities; in addition, a wreath will be
laid at the memorial site; and
WHEREAS, William Henry Seward was born in Florida, New York, on May
16, 1801, and died in Auburn, New York, on October 12, 1872, where he
spent much of his adult life; and
WHEREAS, William Henry Seward made a monumental impact in the
histories of not only Orange County, but New York State and the entire
country, serving in numerous leadership capacities such as New York
Senator, New York Governor, United States Senator and Secretary of State
for both the Lincoln and Johnson administrations; and
WHEREAS, Sympathetic to the plights of runaway slaves, William Henry
Seward offered his home in Auburn as a stop on the Underground Railroad,
where he hid slaves on their way to Canada; and
WHEREAS, In 1867, William Henry Seward acquired Alaska for the
United States from Russia; through the years he tried in vain to
purchase Hawaii and the Dutch West Indies, as well as build a canal in
Panama; all of which came to fruition long after his death; and
WHEREAS, After a failed presidential bid in 1860, William Henry
Seward served as President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State; in this
capacity, he was instrumental in the passage of the Emancipation
Proclamation; and
WHEREAS, Bound to his roots, William Henry Seward was a vital part
of the S.S. Seward Institute in Florida, New York, a school which his
father founded in 1846; and
WHEREAS, William Henry Seward will forever be remembered for his
achievements in office, and for his foresight in anticipating the future
needs of the United States; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity
to express its highest admiration for William Henry Seward, and for all
of the individuals who have worked to bring proper attention to an
individual and time which merits recognition in the grand panorama of
the history of our State and Nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 221st Birthday of William H. Seward, former New York
State Senator, former New York State Governor, former United States
Senator, former United States Secretary of State, and purchaser of
Alaska; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Florida Historical Society.
