Glyndon G. Van Deusen (1897–1987)

1393 William Henry Seward, by Glyndon G. Van Deusen (read 26 May 1976) This is another book this month which I almost quit reading. The main trouble with the book is that it plods pedestrianly--it never gets excited about its subject, and there is no flair to its handling of Seward's exciting life. I read (on July 12, 1969) this same author's biography of Henry Clay, and as I recall I rather liked it. But here he plows along, committing the capital sin (to my mind) of biographers at times: failure to be strictly chronological. Seward was born May 16, 1801, in Florida, New York, attended Union College at Schenectady, NY, was admitted to the bar in Oct 1822, and began the practice of law at Auburn, NY, on Dec 25, 1822. He married his partner's daughter Oct 20, 1824. He was elected governor of New York in 1838 and served two terms. He entered Congress as a Senator in 1851 and served till he became Secretary of State in Lincoln's Cabinet and continued as such under Johnson. He died 4 PM Oct 10, 1872. Doris Kearns Goodwin in her latest book, Team of Rivals, shows Seward as a much more interesting man than does Van Deusen.… (mere)