 
Assembly Resolution No. 743
 
BY: M. of A. Brabenec
 
        COMMEMORATING  the  219th  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 Florida, New York
 
  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate the
219th  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 Florida, New York;
and
 
  WHEREAS, To observe  this  auspicious  occasion,  a  special  event,
"William  Henry Seward's Birthday Celebration" will be held on Saturday,
May 16, 2020; and
 
  WHEREAS, William Henry Seward was born in Florida 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 219th 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
Florida, New York; and be it further
 
  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Florida Historical Society.
Commemorating the 219th Birthday of William H. Seward

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