William H. Seward, the 24th United States Secretary of State, negotiated the Alaska Purchase (referred to pejoratively as Seward's Folly) with the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million.
wˈɪljəm ˈeɪtʃ. sˈuːɚd, ðə twˈɛnti fˈoːɹθ juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts sˈɛkɹətɹi ʌv stˈeɪt, nᵻɡˈoʊʃɪˌeɪɾᵻd ðɪ ɐlˈæskə pˈɜːtʃɪs ɹᵻfˈɜːd tə pədʒˈɔːɹətˌɪvli æz sˈuːɚdz fˈɑːli wɪððə ɹˈʌʃənz ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti sˈɛvən fɔːɹ dˈɑːlɚ sˈɛvən.tˈuː mˈɪliən.