Weed, Thurlow (1797-1882), was an American journalist and political leader. He became a leader of the Whig and Republican parties, and was largely responsible for the election of two Whig presidents, William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. His support of William H. Seward, U.S. secretary of state, led to Weed’s appointment as a commissioner to England and France at the outset of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Weed was born on Nov. 15, 1797, at Cairo, New York. In 1830, he established the Albany (New York) Evening Journal. He died on Nov. 22, 1882.
