The second Republican Party Presidential election was held in 1860. Thurlow Weed wanted supporters of the recently formed Republican Party to nominate William Seward.
Working against Weed was the fact that the Republican convention was to be held in Chicago, Illinois, home state of Abraham Lincoln. Weed knew that his man, Seward, was far better known throughout the country. In addition to being New York’s Governor, Seward had been a U.S. Senator and as a leading anti-slavery proponent he had received extensive publicity. His biggest drawback was that he had been considered at one time to be the most radical anti-slavery member of the Senate.
Weed commissioned a special 13-car train to bring all of Seward’s supporters from New York and try to carry the convention. Among them were Albany’s John Schoolcraft, Robert H. Pruyn and Ira Harris. Weed was a very experienced political operative. He was smart, controlled a large amount of funding and was a master at communicating with the right people and developing consensus. He had his own political philosophies, which he editorialized in his Albany Evening Journal, but within reason, he would move to the middle to satisfy a larger group, and work out arrangements to try to keep everyone happy.
Weed arrived in Chicago and went right to work, meeting with each contingent and trying to garner support for Seward. He offered the Illinois contingent the nomination for Vice-President for Lincoln if they would support Seward on the first ballot. He offered several state groups, including Illinois, $100,000 for their campaign chests if they would support Seward. He reputedly met with one influential member of each group and promised him full control of that state’s political appointments if they supported Seward.
Although Lincoln supposedly opposed it, the Illinois group fought back with their own efforts. To prevent Weed from packing the convention, Lincoln supporters worked out special low railroad rates for Lincoln supporters to come from throughout Illinois. Lincoln supporters printed duplicate convention seat tickets to those given to Weed and told their recipients to get there early and occupy the seats before Weed’s people arrived. Both sides promised cabinet posts to key supporters if they could swing state votes.
On the first ballot Seward led with 173 ½ to 102 for Lincoln with other votes scattered. On the second ballot Seward increased to 184 ½ but Lincoln rose to 181. Just prior to the third ballot, Lincoln’s managers convinced the Pennsylvania delegation to switch to their man and Lincoln prevailed. On the third ballot, Lincoln picked up almost all of the non-Seward votes and passed the 233 needed for a majority.
Abraham Lincoln was now the nominated Presidential candidate of the Republican Party and the overwhelming majority of delegates had never even seen Abraham Lincoln. He had not attended the convention and they didn’t even know what he looked like.
Following the conclusion of the convention, two of Lincoln’s representatives visited Thurlow Weed in his room and asked him to visit Lincoln at his home in Springfield. At the conclusion of the convention, Weed and several party leaders went to Springfield to meet with Lincoln. Weed came away mollified and the New York Republicans including Weed and Seward campaigned strongly for Lincoln.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln ran on a program opposing interference with domestic concerns of states, demanding admission of Kansas as a free state, disavowing the Dred Scott decision, declaring all territories to be free from slavery, supporting both a protective tariff and construction of a railroad to the west coast.
It was now the Democratic Party’s turn to face a North – South splinter. The northern faction nominated Stephen Douglas; the southern wing nominated John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky.
On election night, Lincoln had dinner and spent the rest of the night at the telegraph office. At 2 am, he heard that he carried New York, making his election certain. His thoughts must have gone to Weed and Seward. While Tammany Hall Democrats delivered the five boroughs of New York City to Stephen Douglas (62.3% to 37.7%), Weed delivered upstate and New York State’s electoral votes went to Lincoln by 54% to 46%.
Lincoln won with only 39.9% of the popular vote nationwide but had 180 electoral votes to 123 for all his opponents combined. Without New York’s 35 electoral votes, Lincoln would not have received a majority of the electoral vote and the election would have been thrown into Congress where turmoil most likely would have resulted.
On December 20th, Weed arrived in Springfield just as South Carolina was seceding from the Union. At nine o’clock in the morning Weed called on the President-elect and they talked for the next six hours in the Lincoln’s parlor. Lincoln and Weed found that they had a lot in common and became fast friends. On most issues over the next four years, Lincoln, Weed and Seward would speak with one mind and Weed and Seward would become among Lincoln’s most trusted advisors. Lincoln was their intellectual equal but Weed and Seward were far more experienced politically.
Lincoln appointed Seward Secretary of State, the second most important official next to Lincoln. Lincoln also appointed another noted New Yorker, Robert Hewson Pruyn of Albany, as the second U.S. Minister to Japan. Albany’s Ira Harris was elected by the New York Legislature to the U.S. Senate replacing Seward. As soon as possible after his appointment, and after consulting with Weed, Secretary of State Seward departed for Washington and took it upon himself to become Lincoln’s “transition team” meeting with James Buchanan’s department heads and learning the status of programs before they departed.
Lincoln arrived in Albany on February 18, 1861, with his wife and three sons. As their train passed the West Albany Railroad Shops a signal was flashed from the Dudley Observatory and a 21-gun salute began at the Capitol. Albany’s Democratic Mayor George Thacher met Lincoln and they rode in a carriage to the Capitol. Thacher, Weed, Senator Ira Harris and Republican Governor Morgan hosted Lincoln.
One of Lincoln’s early actions upon reaching Washington was to replace Albany’s Fillmorite Postmaster James Kidd with Calvert Comstock, editor of the Albany Argus, voice of the Democrat Party. (Weed was probably trying to avoid the claims of cronyism that he had leveled at Millard Fillmore and Kidd by appointing a Democrat. However Weed and Comstock were good friends.) In 1865, Comstock, was replaced as Postmaster by Weed’s partner at the Albany Evening Journal, George Dawson. Weed was firmly back in control.
Early Sunday morning, April 14, 1861, barely two months since Lincoln left Albany, news reached Albany that Fort Sumter had been fired on and by morning had surrendered; the Civil War had begun.
In October of Lincoln’s first year, Captain Charles Wilkes, who commanded the USS San Jacinto, stopped and searched the British mail packet boat Trent. Wilkes seized two Confederate emissaries who had been appointed ministers to France and Great Britain. They were imprisoned at Boston. This created uproar from both France and Britain who viewed seizing the Trent as a blatant violation of international law.
Lincoln and Seward dispatched Thurlow Weed to England to meet with the Prime Minister. Catholic Archbishop John Hughes and Episcopal Bishop Charles Pettit McIlvane accompanied Weed. Weed reported that the British government was taking steps toward war. He told Lincoln that eight thousand soldiers were being dispatched to Canada and an embargo had been placed on shipments of war material to the U.S.
In 1862, Thurlow Weed retired from the Albany Evening Journal and turned the operation over to his partner George Dawson.
Throughout the war, Weed corresponded with Lincoln almost every day, keeping the President aware of the national mood and advising him of efforts in New York. He traveled to Washington several times to consult with the President.
On July 22, 1862, Lincoln advised his cabinet for the first time that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln met with Weed that same day and Weed agreed that the Proclamation should be issued but that the announcement should be delayed until the Union won a major victory so that it would not be construed as an act of desperation since the Union had been losing important battles. This was the same advice given to Lincoln by Seward.
On July 1st-3rd, 1863, the tide of the war would turn with the major Union victory at Gettysburg. Union forces were also successful at Vicksburg giving the Union army control of the Mississippi River. In September, Union forces suffered defeat at Chickamauga.
Sensing that both sides were tired of war and learning of certain key Confederates who may be willing to work for a settlement, Weed again contacted Lincoln and asked for an urgent meeting with the President. Lincoln had just recently agreed to attend the dedication service at Gettysburg, consecrating a cemetery to honor the many who had died in the battle. The consecration was to be held on November 19th, 1863.
As Lincoln prepared to depart for Gettysburg, Weed arrived and laid a plan before the President calling for a 90-day armistice. Weed told the President the names of his confidential sources and his speculation as to how a settlement could be reached. Lincoln firmly but tactfully rejected Weed’s proposal.
In 1863, Weed moved to New York City and in 1867, he started a new publication, The Commercial Advertiser. Failing health and sight caused Weed to abandon editorial work but he remained active in the Republican Party. Thurlow Weed died on November 22, 1882, at the age of 86 and is buried in his family plot at Albany Rural Cemetery.
Thurlow Weed, Secretary of State William L. Marcy, Senator Ira Harris, Congressmen Stephen Van Rensselaer, Hugh White and John Schoolcraft, Ambassador to Prussia Daniel Dewey Barnard, Minister to Japan Robert Hewson Pruyn, Postmaster designate Lewis Benedict, and Postmasters James Kidd, George Dawson and Calvert Comstock are all buried in Albany Rural Cemetery.
Illustrations, from above: A Lincoln-Hamlin 1860 campaign banner; a political cartoon from 1860 showing Lincoln with Thurlow Weed (left) and William Seward (right); a telegram from Thurlow Weed to Abraham Lincoln, Tuesday, November 6, 1860 reporting election results in New York State (Library of Congress); and “Dividing the National Map” an 1860 political cartoon.
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