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LS signed “William H. Seward,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, Department of State letterhead, December 30, 1867. Letter to the Hon. J. Glancy Jones, thanking him for comments in relation to the recent purchase of Alaska, and alluding to a proposal for the acquisition of British Columbia. In full: "I give you my thanks for your private letter of the 14th instant, expressing your appreciation of the acquisition already made and that proposed, to our national domain. Such expressions from persons whose experience in public affairs and known sagacity entitle their authors to confidence would, it seems to me, be useful and instructive in a form in which they could be promulgated without violating the restrictions imposed upon private letters." In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, retaining its red "Department of State" wax seal on the reverse.
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, a deal negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward under President Andrew Johnson. The treaty transferred a vast and resource-rich territory of over 586,000 square miles to the United States at a cost of about two cents per acre, greatly expanding the nation’s footprint in the North Pacific. Seward envisioned Alaska as strategically important for trade and defense, as well as a future source of natural resources.
At the time, however, many Americans ridiculed the purchase, dismissing the frozen land as useless wilderness. Critics mockingly called the acquisition 'Seward’s Folly' or 'Seward’s Icebox.' Over time, the discovery of gold, oil, and other resources, along with Alaska’s geopolitical significance, proved Seward’s foresight correct, transforming what was once seen as a blunder into one of the most beneficial land deals in American history.
In the aftermath of the Alaska deal, British Columbians grew anxious about being surrounded by American territory, while some locals supported annexation. U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward envisioned incorporating the entire northwest Pacific Coast to strengthen American trade in the Pacific. He believed that the people of British Columbia would accept annexation, and that Great Britain might cede the territory to settle claims arising from attacks on Union merchant ships during the Civil War. These efforts were unsuccessful, and the claims were ultimately settled for cash.
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