October 18th in History

William Henry Seward, secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson, championed the purchase of Alaska from Russia for two cents an acre resulting in the United States taking possession of the territory on this day in 1867.

In our collection:

Seward, William Henry, Alaska : Speech of William H. Seward, at Sitka, August 12, 1869. (Washington, DC : Philp & Solomons, 1869.)