# C53 - 1959 7c Alaska Statehood
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1959 7¢ Alaska Statehood Issue
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Birth Of William H. Seward
Seward was a bright child that enjoyed school (it was reported that instead of running away from school to go home, heâd run away from home to go to school).  He went on to attend Union College, taking time off to teach in Georgia before returning and graduating with high honors in 1820.
With his political prospects gone, Seward followed his familyâs wishes and returned to practicing law. He also worked for the Holland Land Company, a group of Dutch investors that bought large tracts of land in western New York.
Sewardâs break from politics was brief. In 1838, Weed convinced him to run for governor of New York again, and this time he won. Seward served two terms as governor and focused much of his attention on prison reform and improving education. Seward left the governorship in 1842 in considerable debt and had to return to practicing law once again.
Winning re-election in 1855, Seward continued to speak out against slavery. He also ran for president in 1860, but lost to Abraham Lincoln, who in turn appointed him secretary of state. Seward was initially unsure of Lincolnâs political abilities, but he soon found they worked well together, and Seward became one of Lincolnâs most trusted advisors. Though he had once declared that civil war was an âirrepressible conflict,â Seward spent his first few months in office trying to avoid the war.
Once the war began, Seward made it his mission to arrest Confederate sympathizers in the North. He was also extremely concerned with preventing European nations from offering aid to the Confederacy. In late 1861, he helped ease tensions following the Trent Affair, in which the US Navy had seized Confederate envoys aboard a British ship. Just after the war ended, on April 14, 1865, Seward was among the targets of John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators to overthrow the government and mount an insurgency. Though he was stabbed several times, Seward survived the attack.
Â
1959 7¢ Alaska Statehood Issue
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Birth Of William H. Seward
Seward was a bright child that enjoyed school (it was reported that instead of running away from school to go home, heâd run away from home to go to school).  He went on to attend Union College, taking time off to teach in Georgia before returning and graduating with high honors in 1820.
With his political prospects gone, Seward followed his familyâs wishes and returned to practicing law. He also worked for the Holland Land Company, a group of Dutch investors that bought large tracts of land in western New York.
Sewardâs break from politics was brief. In 1838, Weed convinced him to run for governor of New York again, and this time he won. Seward served two terms as governor and focused much of his attention on prison reform and improving education. Seward left the governorship in 1842 in considerable debt and had to return to practicing law once again.
Winning re-election in 1855, Seward continued to speak out against slavery. He also ran for president in 1860, but lost to Abraham Lincoln, who in turn appointed him secretary of state. Seward was initially unsure of Lincolnâs political abilities, but he soon found they worked well together, and Seward became one of Lincolnâs most trusted advisors. Though he had once declared that civil war was an âirrepressible conflict,â Seward spent his first few months in office trying to avoid the war.
Once the war began, Seward made it his mission to arrest Confederate sympathizers in the North. He was also extremely concerned with preventing European nations from offering aid to the Confederacy. In late 1861, he helped ease tensions following the Trent Affair, in which the US Navy had seized Confederate envoys aboard a British ship. Just after the war ended, on April 14, 1865, Seward was among the targets of John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators to overthrow the government and mount an insurgency. Though he was stabbed several times, Seward survived the attack.