Team of Rivals

Four Men on the Rise

Abraham Lincoln entered national power in 1860 as the least famous of four leading Republicans. William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates all seemed better prepared by education, rank, or reputation. Yet Lincoln had something just as important. He understood people, he understood politics, and he had the confidence to bring strong-minded rivals into his own cabinet once he won.

These four men came from very different worlds, but their paths shared a pattern. All moved westward or built careers on the growing edge of the country. All studied law, entered public life, and were shaped by the great moral crisis of slavery. Their differences in class and temperament would matter, but so would their common belief that public service could lift both the individual and the nation.

Seward grew up in comfort in New York and received the best education of the group. He rose quickly with the help of his close political partner, Thurlow Weed, whose organizing skill matched Seward’s eloquence. Chase came from a once-prominent family but knew loss and instability early in life, which fed both his ambition and his seriousness. Bates, raised in the Virginia gentry tradition, carried into politics a deep sense of family duty, caution, and social order.

Lincoln’s beginning was the hardest. He rose from poverty, educated himself through borrowed books, and carried the weight of early grief all his life. His sadness never fully left him, but it deepened his sympathy and sharpened his sense of purpose. In Springfield, his friendship with Joshua Speed gave him emotional support at a time when he was still building himself.

Politics in this era was loud, personal, and everywhere. Bates entered first and built a respected career, though he often preferred home life to public struggle. Seward became a bold antislavery leader in New York, while Chase gained fame as a lawyer defending escaped slaves and attacking unfair laws. Lincoln, meanwhile, learned the practical side of politics in Illinois, winning trust through hard work, humor, and an unusual ability to connect with ordinary voters.