Thurlow Weed

From the 1830s until the Civil War (1861–65), Thurlow Weed was one of the dominant forces in New York and U.S. party politics. Henry Adams described him as, “the model of political management and patient address.” Weed entered politics through newspaper editing and writing, evolved into a skilled power broker and master of persuasion, and eventually became the de facto leader of the Whig Party.

Rather than seek higher office himself, Weed devoted his considerable talents to promoting the political ambitions of his friends. William Seward’s election as governor of New York in 1838 and William Henry Harrison’s election to the presidency in 1840 owed much to Weed. He also spearheaded Zachary Taylor’s successful candidacy for president in 1848, but Taylor’s early death ruined Weed’s plans for maintaining the unity of the Whig Party. Weed then moved to the Republican Party and became a trusted confidante of Abraham Lincoln.