He relied on his combative Secretary of State William Seward while working closely with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Charles Sumner.
hiː ɹᵻlˈaɪd ˌɔn hɪz kəmbˈæɾɪv sˈɛkɹətɹi ʌv stˈeɪt wˈɪljəm sˈuːɚd wˌaɪl wˈɜːkɪŋ klˈoʊsli wɪð sˈɛnət fˈɔːɹən ɹᵻlˈeɪʃənz kəmˈɪɾi tʃˈɛɹmən tʃˈɑːɹlz sˈʌmnɚ.