This statue of William H. Seward was commissioned by the Seward Statue Committee in Juneau, Alaska, to commemorate Alaska’s 150th anniversary as a United States Territory. William Seward was secretary of state in 1867, and negotiated the purchase of the Alaskan territory from the Russians. On May 19-20, the statue will be placed outside the Seward County Courthouse to mark Nebraska and Seward’s 150th statehood anniversary before continuing on to Juneau.
Nebraska and Alaska share a sesquicentennial and towns with the same name—Seward.
In 1867 Nebraska became a state and Alaska became a territory through a Treaty of Cession with Russia.
To celebrate its 150 years in American hands, Alaska is erecting a statue of William Henry Seward in its capital city, Juneau, on July 3.
William Seward was the secretary of state for both President Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson. He negotiated the $7.2 million treaty agreement in the wee hours of March 29, 1867, with Edward deStoekl, the Russian Minister to the United States.
Once completed, the six-foot tall statue will be on tour, starting at an event at the Seward House in Auburn, New York, before making stops in Lincoln and Seward, Nebraska, before being transported to Alaska.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to share our history with the people of both Seward and Lincoln, Nebraska, by displaying the statue of Seward in these communities,” said Wayne Jensen, co-chair of the Juneau Community Foundation Special Project Committee.
Several events are planned during the stops in Nebraska and all are open to the public. These events include:
May 16—A presentation at the Rotary Club of Lincoln Downtown at noon at the US Bank Building located at 233 South 13th Street, 20th floor in Lincoln.
May 17—A presentation at the Rotary Club of Seward at noon at Jones National Bank and Trust Co., located at 203 South Sixth Street in Seward.
May 19—A presentation and viewing of the statue at the historic Kennard House in Lincoln at 11 a.m. The Kennard House is located at 1627 H Street.
May 19-20—Statue viewing at the Seward County Courthouse from the evening of May 19 through mid-day May 20. The courthouse is located at 529 Seward Street.
May 21—Statue on display at the Seward County Historical Society Museum in the afternoon. The museum is on Road 364 on the east side of Goehner.
Unique to this statue are three elements:
• A facial deformation and scar on William Seward’s face to remind viewers he was also involved in the fateful April 14, 1865, assassination that took Lincoln’s life.
There were supposed to be three murders that night: Abraham Lincoln, then-Vice President Johnson and William Seward.
William Seward was attacked in his home with a knife, but because of an earlier carriage accident, he wore a neck brace that subsequently saved his life.
• He is wearing a cape. This black velvet cape was gifted to the State of Alaska and resides in the Alaska State Museum Collection in Juneau.
• The base of the statue is made from a block of Tokeen marble, the same Alaskan marble found in the columns of the state Capitol building in Alaska.
The artistic brother and sister team of David and Judith Rubin sculpted the statue in their mother’s home in Ardsley, New York. The clay model was taken to the Polichtallix Foundry in New York where it was cast.
David Rubin is a resident of Ketchikan, Alaska, and Judith Rubin lives in Boston. New York was William Seward’s home state where he served as governor and a U.S. senator before becoming the secretary of state.
Once the statue arrives in Juneau, it will be placed in a small courtyard facing the Alaska Capitol on a four-foot tall base of Tokeen marble. Including a one-foot tall concrete pad, the statue will rise to a total height of 11 feet.
