WI: President Seward, 1860?

One of the odd decisions in past political campaigns is the overconfident would be winner that decides to just offer platitudes instead of actually campaigning to win.

One of these was at a critical time in our history, the 1860 political primary. Henry Seward, the Favorite to win the primary, OTL instead visited Europe and went on a goodwill tour around the world, while Abraham Lincoln campaigned hard and managed to grab the nomination. Despite this posturing, Seward would loyally support Lincoln as Secretary of State during the civil war.

Suppose, instead, that it is Seward who is running for election in 1860, possibly making the same deal in reverse to Lincoln. What happens next?
 
I don't know enough about Seward's views on slavery etc to properly comment other than to ask

-1- Would the South be worried with Seward as president ?

-2- Would Lincoln as Secretary of State appear a big enough threat for the South to seccede if the answer to -1- is no

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Yes to both.

Like Lincoln, Seward was in favor of "phasing out" slavery. Unlike Lincoln, however, he was a businessman and more of a traveler. Like Lincoln, he had a considerable background in conflict resolution and the ability to forge lasting friendships.

The thing is, I don't know or have any idea how Seward would have conducted the Civil War. I'd strongly suspect that Lincoln would loyally support him, and his good friend Thurlow Weed would be very capable of handling the media, but I don't know how the whole thing plays out.

Would George McClellan even be appointed? Would Stanton run the war from Washington? I'm curious.
 
Pre war more and more local officials in the north were winking at the Fugitive slave act.
The Congress [both houses] in disarray, with yelling matches and fisticuffs on the Congress floor.

The election of 1860 elected enuff Republicans to Congress that they were the majority after the south walked out.
Along with this thousands of [Pledged abolitionist] Republicans were elected to state and local offices.
[ensuring the Republicans major party status after the war]
This is what convinced the South that staying was hopeless, Not just Lincoln as President.

But during January - March 1861 President Bucanhan basically abdicated the Presidency to Lincoln.
It was Lincoln that ordered the abandonment and burning of the Norfolk Naval yards.
It was Lincoln that ordered Federal troops into Annapolis while the debate on Secession was taking place.
In effect Lincoln gave the Federals a couple month jump start.
By the time He was sworn in large parts of the Federal Government were already taking orders from him.

?Would Seward, have been this take charge?.

If whe wait till March to begin getting ready, then the Confeds also get a couple extra months of preparing time.
 
As SoS, would Lincoln be rather well with negotiating with the British and the French so that they did not recognize the CSA?
 
Seward wouldn't be a bad president, and yeah, I think he probably would take the initiative in dealing with the secession crisis. If Buchanan is willing to take himself out of the picture, Seward would probably move in.

Lincoln's ability as a master of diplomacy? I don't know. Probably competent, if not gifted. He wouldn't screw up the country, and he might actually able to make a few friends abroad. I doubt this means things like creating an alliance or anything, but he wouldn't be a poor choice for the role.

But I'm not sure about Sewards ability as C-in-C. This is the main concern: Lincoln historically created a very strong cabinet to help him in his time of greatest need. I'm not sure that Seward would do the same, even though I think it probably inevitable that he'd bring Lincoln on board.

Also, this could mean that Winfield Scott takes a lead role as General in Chief, instead of being sidelined like he was OTL.
 
One of the acts Seward is most remembered for is his purchase of Alaska from Russia. This is because of his belief in American "Manifest Destiny." If he could win the Civil War or at least hold the structure and economy of the Union at a decent level, I can see him expanding the borders and influence of America beyond what they are in OTL.
 
Seward was seen as a more radical republican (at the time) than Lincoln. Given Seward's actions during the Secession Crisis its likely that war would have come earlier. On the whole I suspect that the opening months of the war will run fairly similar to OTL. While I like Winfield Scott, I don't think many of the politicians would have welcomed his observation that it would be a long war.

In an earlier post on this board, or in its earlier incarnation, there was an observation that Seward was greatly interested in supporting US trade in the Far East.
 
All things considered, I wonder if The South would have still seceeded with a President Seward as it did with a President Lincoln? Even though Seward and Lincoln agreed on many issues such as slavery, Seward was not Lincoln and his way of handling things might have been different.
 
South Carolina still secedes on schedule, since to those of the Deep South one Republican was just as bad as another. (And Seward might even be worse than Lincoln, since the former was a more devout abolitionist and didn't have the Log Cabin ethos behind him). I'd expect the Deep South to follow suit. But the question is, does the Upper South? Remember Virginia rejected secession before Lincoln's call for troops. Seward might take a different course; perhaps he waits until Congress assembles and asks them to call troops rather than assuming that power himself.

Also, I kind of doubt that Lincoln becomes Secretary of State: he lacks the training and the background for the post. The most likely Cabinet post for him is Attorney General. (I would say Secretary of War but he had very little military expereince).
 
Also, I kind of doubt that Lincoln becomes Secretary of State: he lacks the training and the background for the post. The most likely Cabinet post for him is Attorney General. (I would say Secretary of War but he had very little military expereince).

I don't think Lincoln has much to recommend him for any cabinet position. Tho he did serve as a good lawyer for the railroads, so perhaps Attorney General would be appropriate.
 
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