William Henry Seward Statue - Seattle, WA
N 47° 37.912 W 122° 18.944
10T E 551405 N 5275611
The William Henry Seward monument was specifically commissioned for display during the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in 1909.
Waymark Code: WMWN03
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2017
Views: 5
Located in Volunteer Park and near the Volunteer Park Observatory is a lifelike statue of William Henry Seward. Seward had a lengthy political life and much is written about him. He was the New York governor from 1839-1842; a US Senator from 1849 to 1859; a presidential candidate in the 1860 US election, and after losing the Republican nomination to Abraham Lincoln who eventually won the presidency, was chosen as Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869.
What was William Seward's connection to Seattle, you may ask? Well, he was instrumental in purchasing the Alaskan Territory from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million dollars. This was seen by many as Seward's biggest accomplishment in his professional life. Seattle became the host city for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 and the chosen theme for the Expo was the commemoration of gold strikes in Alaska and Canadian territories. The city commissioned artist Richard Brooks to sculpt a lifelike statue of William Seward as a citizen memorial in recognition of his achievement in the Alaskan Territory purchase. It was put on display during the duration of the Expo and titled Let Us Make the Treaty Tonight.
In describing the bronze, lifelike statue, Seward stands atop a high stone pedestal facing south. He holds a scroll in his proper left arm. He stands in front of a large globe, and a pile of pine boughs and cones. His proper left leg is slightly bent and forward. Bronze plaques on the base include quotes from Seward; and on rear, plaque of eagle and shield. Directly below the statue and title is the main plaque which contains an inscription that reads:
WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD
PATRIOT AND STATESMAN,
AS GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK,
UNITED STATES SENATOR
AND SECRETARY OF STATE,
GAVE TO THE PEOPLE OF
HIS COUNTRY A LONG AND
USEFUL LIFE CULMINATING
IN HIS PURCHASE FOR THEM
OF THE TERRITORY OF
ALASKA ON MARCH 30, 1867ERECTED BY CITIZENS OF
SEATTLE 1909 |
A small plaque on proper left side, near the bottom of the base of the sculpture contains a quote by Seward that reads:
“AS WAR HAS HITHER TO DEFACED
AND SADDENED THE ATLANTIC WORLD
THE BETTER PASSION OF MANKIND
WILL SOON HAVE THEIR DEVELOPMENT IN
THE NEW THEATER OF HUMAN ACTIVITY”WILLIAM H. SEWARD IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE JULY 29, 1852 |
A small plaque on proper right side, near the bottom of the base of the sculpture contains a quote by Seward that reads:
“THE PACIFIC OCEAN ITS SHORES
ITS ISLANDS AND THE VAST REGIONS BEYOND
WILL BECOME THE CHIEF THEATRE OF EVENTS
IN THE WORLDS GREAT HEREAFTER”WILLIAM H. SEWARD IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE JULY 29, 1852 |
A few websites note the significance of the William Henry Seward statue, located in front of the Volunteer Park Conservatory. The National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (page 4) contains a brief sentence that reads:
...The full-figure bronze sculptural likeness of William Seward, United States Secretary of State who negotiated the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, was commissioned from New York sculptor Richard Brooks for exhibit in 1909 at the Alaska-Yukon-
Pacific Exposition on the present site of the University of Washington campus. When the Exposition closed the statue and its high polished-stone pedestal were resited in Volunteer Park.
Wikipedia also mentions the Seward monument as an Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition piece and reads:
William Henry Seward, also known as Let Us Make the Treaty Tonight, the Monument to William H. Seward, and William H. Seward, is an outdoor bronze sculpture of William H. Seward by Richard Brooks, located in Volunteer Park in Seattle, Washington, United States. The statue was unveiled at the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in 1909 and relocated to the park the following year. It cost $15,000 and was funded by private donors.
Finally, the Smithsonian Art Inventory online database also highlights the connection of this statue to the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition and reads:
William H. Seward stands atop a high stone pedestal facing south. He holds a scroll in his proper left arm. He stands in front of a large globe, and pile of pine boughs and cones. His proper left leg is slightly bent and forward. Bronze plaques on base include quotes from Seward; and on rear, plaque of eagle and shield.
The work was commissioned by the Seattle business community. The statue was completed in 1909, in time for placement at the Alaska-Pacific-Yukon Exposition on the University of Washington campus. After the exposition closed the sculpture was moved to its present location to await final placement in the soon-to-be-completed Seward Park. Although the park was completed, the Seward statue was never moved.
There are also a few websites that contain a great some great history and photos from the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, held on the University of Washington campus. You may view some nice photos from the University of Washington library website. The seattle.gov website contains a quick history on the exposition. Finally, the historylink.org website contains a very nice interactive 'then and now' article which allows visitors to select specific buildings that were part of the expo and read more about their purpose and what happened to them after the expo.