New York Almanack

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Albany’s Thurlow Weed: Seward, Lincoln’s Election, & The Civil War Years

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Lincoln Hamlin 1860 campaign banner 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. [Read more…] about Albany’s Thurlow Weed: Seward, Lincoln’s Election, & The Civil War Years

The End of the Whigs: Thurlow Weed & The Birth of the Republican Party

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Thurlow Weed ca 1865 photo by Matthew Brady from the National Portrait GalleryFollowing his political successes in the disputed Election of 1824, Thurlow Weed was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1825 and again in 1830.

In the 1820s, like many in Upstate New York with populist, anti-elite feelings, Weed strongly believed the Masons were trying to control government using secret means. He felt that political affairs should be conducted publicly and particularly opposed the fraternal secrecy of Freemasonry.  An alleged conspiracy by Masons to murder William Morgan in Western New York in September, 1826 sparked the anti-Freemasonry movement. Weed began publishing the Anti-Masonic Enquirer in Rochester, NY in February, 1828.

Soon Weed was hired as editor of the newly formed Anti-Masonic Albany Evening Journal, which began publication on March 22, 1830. The move to Albany made him a statewide leader of the fledgling Anti-Masonic Party. [Read more…] about The End of the Whigs: Thurlow Weed & The Birth of the Republican Party

Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

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Ira HarrisIra Harris was born at Charleston, Montgomery County, NY on May 31st, 1802 to Fredrick Waterman Harris and Lucy Hamilton. When he was six years old, his family moved to Preble, NY where his father became one of the largest landowners in Cortland County.

Harris attended Homer Academy and graduated from Union College in 1824. He studied law for one year in Homer, New York and then moved to Albany where he assisted one of that city’s most highly regarded jurists, Ambrose Spencer. [Read more…] about Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

Nelson Rockefeller and the Politics of Wealth: A Discussion

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On this episode of Empire State Engagements, a conversation with Dr. Marsha E. Barrett of the University of Illinois about her new article “‘Millionaires are more Democratic Now’: Nelson Rockefeller and the Politics of Wealth in New York,” which appears in vol. 102.1 of New York History (Summer, 2021). [Read more…] about Nelson Rockefeller and the Politics of Wealth: A Discussion

NY Newspaper Anecdotes From Political History

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Caroline Harrisons piano courtesy Benjamin Harrison Presidential SiteTrivia clue: The piano company that First Lady Caroline Harrison, a music teacher, selected for the White House piano in 1889 after an extensive scrutiny of domestic and foreign brands.

Correct response: Who is J & C Fischer of New York City? [Read more…] about NY Newspaper Anecdotes From Political History

Colonel Billy Wilson: A Notable New York Bully

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the notable bullyBook purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

The new book A Notable Bully: Colonel Billy Wilson, Masculinity, and the Pursuit of Violence in the Civil War Era (Kent State University Press, 2021) by Robert E. Cray is the substantial biography of a Civil War scoundrel and streetwise politico. [Read more…] about Colonel Billy Wilson: A Notable New York Bully

Henry Burleigh, Benjamin Harrison’s Peacock Feather & Political Reporting

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Henry G. BurleighSing along with me to the tune of a familiar nursery rhyme song.

Everywhere that Burleigh went, Burleigh went, Burleigh went – everywhere that Burleigh went the press was sure to follow.

The press followed H.G. Burleigh, a 19th century State Assemblyman, Congressman and political power broker from Whitehall and Ticonderoga, because reporters knew there would always be an entertaining story that more often than not came with a nugget of breaking news. [Read more…] about Henry Burleigh, Benjamin Harrison’s Peacock Feather & Political Reporting