The Also-Rans
Episode 17: Almost Lincoln (w/ Jeff Ludwig)
For the first time, we'll look at a man who didn't even earn his party's nomination. In 1860, the Republican Party met in a gigantic wigwam in Chicago to choose their nominee for president. The smart money was on a conscientious antislavery man and the party's most prominent public figure: New York's William H. Seward.
The public was shocked when delegates instead chose an obscure man who was most famous for losing a Senate race: Abraham Lincoln.
Instead of being the man who led the nation through the Civil War, Seward became Lincoln's most important advisor and his Secretary of State-- foremost among the "Team of Rivals." We are lucky to be joined by Jeff Ludwig, Director of Education at the William Seward House in scenic Auburn, New York.
For the first time, we'll look at a man who didn't even earn his party's nomination. In 1860, the Republican Party met in a gigantic wigwam in Chicago to choose their nominee for president. The smart money was on a conscientious antislavery man and the party's most prominent public figure: New York's William H. Seward.
The public was shocked when delegates instead chose an obscure man who was most famous for losing a Senate race: Abraham Lincoln.
Instead of being the man who led the nation through the Civil War, Seward became Lincoln's most important advisor and his Secretary of State-- foremost among the "Team of Rivals." We are lucky to be joined by Jeff Ludwig, Director of Education at the William Seward House in scenic Auburn, New York.