Person Information

Biography

"Seward defended a convict in the state prison named Henry Wyatt who had murdered fellow inmate James Gordon. Seward and his colleagues, Christopher Morgan and Samuel Blatchford, maintained that Wyatt’s crime was an act of insanity rather than criminal motive. Not only was Seward’s defense a bold step in the field of social justice but also a reflection of increasing awareness of mental illness in the nineteenth century."

Letter References

Citations

Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: 
"Seward defended a convict in the state prison named Henry Wyatt who had murdered fellow inmate James Gordon. Seward and his colleagues, Christopher Morgan and Samuel Blatchford, maintained that Wyatt’s crime was an act of insanity rather than criminal motive. Not only was Seward’s defense a bold step in the field of social justice but also a reflection of increasing awareness of mental illness in the nineteenth century."
Citation Type: 
Book or Book Chapter
Book or Monograph Title: 
Sites Relating to the Underground Railroad, Abolitionism, African American Life
Author(s) or Editor(s): 
Historical New York Research Associates
Year: 
2005
Start Page: 
68
Citation Notes: 
http://www.cayugacounty.us/portals/0/history/ugrr/report/PDF/5c.pdf
Citation for Birth Info:
Citation for Death Info:
Citation Type: 
Book or Book Chapter
Book or Monograph Title: 
Life and Confessions of Henry Wyatt who was Executed at Auburn Prison for the Murder of James Gordon, A Fellow Convict
Publisher Location: 
Auburn
Publisher Name: 
J.C. Merrell & Co.
Year: 
1846
Citation Notes: 
Pamphlet located in Seward Collection