William Henry Seward was born to Samuel and Mary (Jennings) Seward in Florida, New York on May 16, 1801. He graduated from Union College in 1820 and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1822. He married Frances Miller on October 10, 1824, and the couple had five children. Seward practiced law in Auburn, New York before becoming involved in politics. He served as a member of the New York Senate (1830-1834) and as the Governor of New York (1838-1842) before representing New York in the United States Senate (1849-1861). In 1860, Abraham Lincoln appointed Seward Secretary of State. He served until 1869, during which time he advocated war with Spain and France to solidify the United States, protested against the outfitting of Confederate privateers in British ports, purchased Alaska (which, due to public opposition, was nicknamed Seward's Folly and Seward's ice-box) from Russia for $7,200,000, and unsuccessfully attempted to acquire two islands in the Danish West Indies and annex Hawaii. Seward died in Auburn on October 15, 1872 and is buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery.