William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801–October 10, 1872) was an American politician. He was the 12th Governor of New York, and later a United States Senator. He was also the United States Secretary of State for two presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He was very much against slavery. He was an important person in the Republican Party when it was starting. Many people thought he would be nominated by the Republican Party to run for President of the United States in 1860, but that did not happen.