Background
Seward was born on November 8, 1840 in Florida, New York, United States, the son of George W. and Tempe (Leddell) Seward.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
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Seward was born on November 8, 1840 in Florida, New York, United States, the son of George W. and Tempe (Leddell) Seward.
He was educated at Seward Academy, Florida, and at Union College, which he entered in 1857 but from which he withdrew before graduating.
He was appointed United States consul at Shanghai, China, an important post, and on September 2, 1863, he became consul general there. During his service at Shanghai he was sent to investigate conditions at the consulate at Bangkok (1868), and on June 27, 1868, was commissioned special diplomatic agent to Korea and empowered to negotiate a commercial and claims convention. Feeling, however, that circumstances were not favorable, he never undertook the mission.
After nearly fifteen years of the consular service, he was appointed on January 7, 1876, minister to China to succeed Benjamin P. Avery. His services in these positions seem to have met with considerable approval, for he received praise from "Chinese" Gordon and the former American minister, Anson Burlingame, as well as from representatives of the British, French, and Danish governments.
In 1866 and 1869 he was president of the North China branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. In spite of Seward's efforts, the Chinese bought the line soon after its opening in 1876 and destroyed it.
When California was in arms against the Oriental invaders, Seward was instructed in April 1879 to work towards a new immigration treaty with China. On March 3, 1879, however, a committee of the House of Representatives had recommended that Seward be impeached of "high crimes and misdemeanors while in office. " The alleged offenses included irregularities in his accounts as consul general, arbitrary administration, and fraudulent dealings with the Chinese in the Woosung railroad matter. Although steps toward impeachment were taken by the hostile Democratic House in both the Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth congresses, the prosecution was uncertain of its position and the impeachment was never tried.
Nevertheless Seward's usefulness to the State Department was ended and his resignation was requested December 27, 1879.
He was connected with numerous business ventures, and in 1887 became vice-president, and, in 1893, president, of the Fidelity and Casualty Company, which office he held at the time of his death.
Being U. S. Minister to China, George Seward played a key role in early treaty negotiations that eventually became known as the Chinese Exclusion Act. As minister he supported the building of China's pioneer steam railroad at Woosung, but it was destroyed. His best-known publications: Chinese Immigration in Its Social and Economical Aspects; The United States Consulates in China; The Treaty With Spain. Denmark in return for his friendly services in obtaining security for a Danish telegraph system from the Chinese government bestowed on him the Order of the Knights of Danebrog, and France honored him with the Order of the Commander of the Dragon of Annam.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
Aside from his interest in modernizing China, he worked in harmony with the Chinese government, showing sympathy for its position during the Lew Chew dispute with Japan and urging his own government not to press the Chinese with regard to the question of immigration.
He was married, August 4, 1870, to Kate Sherman of Marysville, California. He had 4 children.
