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Henry Clay

 
Henry Clay

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Henry Clay



 
 
Henry Clay, Sr. (April 12, 1777 – June 29, 1852) was a nineteenth-century American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 statesman and orator
Orator

An orator, or oratist, is a speaker.An orator may also be called an oratarian - literally, "he who orates".Etymology...
 who represented Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
 in both the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 and Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
.

He was a dominant figure in both the First Party System
First Party System

The First Party System is a term of periodization used by some political scientists and historians to describe the political system existing in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824....
 to 1824, and the Second Party System
Second Party System

The Second Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to name the political system existing in the United States from about 1828 to 1854....
 after that. Known as "The Great Compromiser" and "The Great Pacifier" for his ability to bring others to agreement, he was the founder and leader of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President of the United States Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party ....
 and a leading advocate of programs for modernizing the economy, especially tariffs to protect industry, a national bank, and internal improvements to promote canals, ports and railroads.

He was a leading war hawk
War Hawk

War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the United States House of Representatives of the Twelfth United States Congress of the United States who advocated waging war against United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the War of 1812....
 and, according to historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 Clement Eaton
Clement Eaton

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, was "more than any other individual" responsible for the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
.






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Quotations


How often are we forced to charge fortune with partiality towards the unjust!

Letter (December 4, 1801)

I would rather be right than be President.

Speech in the Senate (1850)

If you wish to avoid foreign collision, you had better abandon the ocean.

Speech in the House of Representatives (January 22, 1812)

Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.

Speech at Ashland, KY (March 1829)

The arts of power and its minions are the same in all countries and in all ages. It marks its victim; denounces it; and excites the public odium and the public hatred, to conceal its own abuses and encroachments.

Speech in the Senate (March 14, 1834)

Precedents deliberately established by wise men are entitled to great weight. They are evidence of truth, but only evidence...But a solitary precedent...which has never been reexamined, cannot be conclusive.

Speech in the Senate (February 18, 1835)





Encyclopedia


Henry Clay, Sr. (April 12, 1777 – June 29, 1852) was a nineteenth-century American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 statesman and orator
Orator

An orator, or oratist, is a speaker.An orator may also be called an oratarian - literally, "he who orates".Etymology...
 who represented Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
 in both the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 and Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
.

He was a dominant figure in both the First Party System
First Party System

The First Party System is a term of periodization used by some political scientists and historians to describe the political system existing in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824....
 to 1824, and the Second Party System
Second Party System

The Second Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to name the political system existing in the United States from about 1828 to 1854....
 after that. Known as "The Great Compromiser" and "The Great Pacifier" for his ability to bring others to agreement, he was the founder and leader of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President of the United States Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party ....
 and a leading advocate of programs for modernizing the economy, especially tariffs to protect industry, a national bank, and internal improvements to promote canals, ports and railroads.

He was a leading war hawk
War Hawk

War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the United States House of Representatives of the Twelfth United States Congress of the United States who advocated waging war against United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the War of 1812....
 and, according to historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 Clement Eaton
Clement Eaton

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, was "more than any other individual" responsible for the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
. Clay was also called "Henry of the West" and "The Western Star."

Although his multiple attempts to become president were unsuccessful, to a large extent he defined the issues of the Second Party System
Second Party System

The Second Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to name the political system existing in the United States from about 1828 to 1854....
. He was a major supporter of the American System
American System (economic plan)

The American System was a mercantilist economic plan based on the "American School" ideas of Alexander Hamilton, expanded upon later by Friedrich List, consisting of a high tariff to support internal improvements such as road-building, and a national bank to encourage productive enterprise and form a national currency....
, and had success in brokering compromises on the slavery issue, especially in 1820
Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the slave state and free state factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the Historic regions of the United States....
 and 1850
Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War ....
.

He was part of the "Great Triumvirate
Great Triumvirate

The Great Triumvirate is a term that refers to the three statesmen who dominated the United States Senate in the 1830s and 1840s: Henry Clay of Kentucky, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, and John C....
" or "Immortal Trio," along with his colleagues Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman during the nation's antebellum. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests....
 and John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States. He was a leading United States Southern politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century....
. In 1957, a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....
 named Clay as one of the five greatest senators in U.S. history. In his early involvement in Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
 politics and as a fellow Kentucky native, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
 was a great admirer of Clay.

Early life


Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, at the Clay homestead in Hanover County
Hanover County, Virginia

Hanover County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 86,320. A 2007 estimate shows the county's population has grown to 100,721....
 in a story-and-a-half frame house, an above average home for a Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 farmer of the time.

He was the seventh of nine children of the Reverend John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson Clay. His father, a Baptist
Baptist

A Baptist is a member of a Christian denomination characterized by the rejection of infant baptism in favor of believer's baptism by Baptism#Immersion....
 minister called "Sir John," died four years later (1781). He left Henry and his brothers two slaves each and his wife eighteen slaves and of land.

She soon married Capt. Henry Watkins, who proved himself to be an affectionate stepfather to Clay. Elizabeth had seven children with Watkins to add to the nine she had with John Clay.

When Henry was six, three of his young cousins were killed in an Indian attack on Clover Bottom, now the Shawnee Lake section of Mercer County, West Virginia, with one child shot, another viciously stabbed to death and the other taken to Chillicothe, Ohio to be burned at the stake.

Clay received an elementary education from Peter Deacon, a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 teacher. He was then hired as a shop assistant in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
.

He was hired after his family had relocated to Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles, Kentucky

Versailles is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States and is a suburb of Lexington, Kentucky. It is also part of the Lexington-Fayette Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
 to run a tavern
Tavern

A tavern or pot-house is, loosely, a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and, more than likely, also be served food, though not licensed to put up guests....
, leaving Clay to be raised and educated by a boy's club. His stepfather later secured Clay employment in the office of the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery

The Court of Chancery was one of the court of equity in Courts of the United Kingdom....
, where he displayed an adeptness for understanding the intricacies of law.

Here he became friends with George Wythe
George Wythe

George Wythe , was a lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence....
., who was hampered by a crippled hand and chose Clay to be his secretary because of his neat handwriting.

While Clay was employed as Wythe's amanuensis
Amanuensis

Amanuensis [ipa: ??m?nju'?ns?s] is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour....
, the chancellor took an active interest in Clay's future and arranged a position for him with the Virginia attorney general
Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions....
, Robert Brooke
Robert Brooke

Colonel Sir Robert Brooke , Lieutenant-Colonel in the army of Bengal and Governor of the island of St Helena from 1788 to 1800. Married 1775, Anna Maria Mapletoft, daughter of Reverend Robert Mapletoft, Assistant Chaplain to the East India Company at St John's, Calcutta; 5 sons, 2 daughters....
.

Clay received a formal legal education at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary

The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public university research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, Virginia, United States....
 in Virginia, studying under George Wythe
George Wythe

George Wythe , was a lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence....
. Under Brooke, Clay prepared for the bar, to which he was admitted in 1797.

Legal career

Seeking to establish a lucrative law practice, Clay relocated in November 1797 to Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World," it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region....
, near where his family then resided in Woodford County
Woodford County, Kentucky

Woodford County is a county located in the heart of the Bluegrass region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 23,208. Its county seat is Versailles, Kentucky....
. He soon established a reputation for his legal skills and courtroom oratory.

Some of his clients paid him with horses and with land. Clay came to own town lots and the Kentucky Hotel
Kentucky Hotel

The Kentucky Hotel is a historic building located at Lynchburg, Virginia. It is one of Lynchburg's three remaining early 19th century ordinaries....
. His father-in-law, Colonel Thomas Hart was an early settler of Kentucky and a prominent businessman. Clay became manager of Hart's legal workings.

In 1803, as a representative of Fayette County
Fayette County, Kentucky

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2007, the estimated population was 279,044. Its territory, population and Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky are coextensive with the city of Lexington, Kentucky, which also serves as county seat....
 in the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly

The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January....
, Clay focused his attention mostly on trying to move the State capital
State capital

In countries with federation constitutions divided into administrative division known as state , the state capital is the administrative center of a state....
 from Frankfort
Frankfort, Kentucky

Frankfort is a city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that serves as the state Capital and the county seat of Franklin County, Kentucky. The population was 27,741 at the United States Census, 2000; by population, it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States....
 to Lexington.

He also worked diligently to defend the Kentucky Insurance Company, which he saved from an attempt in 1804 by Felix Grady to repeal its monopolistic
Monopoly

In economics, a monopoly exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it....
 charter.

In 1806, United States District Attorney Joseph Hamilton Daviess
Joseph Hamilton Daviess

Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss , commanded the Dragoons of the Indiana Militia at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Although the correct spelling of his name appears to be "Daveiss", it is uniformly spelled "Daviess" in places named for him....
 indicted Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, Jr. was an United States politician, American Revolutionary War hero, and adventurer. He served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , under Thomas Jefferson....
 for planning an expedition into Spanish Territory
New Spain

The Viceroyalty of New Spain , was the political unit of Spain territories in North America and Asia-Pacific. The territory included the present-day Southwestern United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines....
 west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Clay and John Allen
John Allen

John Allen may refer to:...
 successfully defended Burr.

Some years later Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
 convinced Clay that Daviess had been right. Clay was so upset by this that many years later when he met Burr again, Clay refused to shake his hand.

Clay's influence in Kentucky state politics was great enough for him to be selected by the Kentucky legislature to serve as United States Senator
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 for two short terms (1806-7 and 1810-11), completing the unexpired terms of John Adair
John Adair

John Adair was an United States pioneer, soldier and statesman. He was the seventh governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate....
, who had to resign his seat for his alleged part in the Burr Conspriacy and Buckner Thruston
Buckner Thruston

Buckner Thruston was a Democratic-Republican Party United States Senate from Kentucky.Born in Petsoe Parish, Virginia in Gloucester County, Virginia, Thruston graduated from William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia....
, who resigned to serve as a judge on the United States Circuit Court
United States circuit court

The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789....
. Interestingly, Clay was below the constitutionally appointed age of thirty
Article One of the United States Constitution

Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislature of the Federal government of the United States, known as United States Congress, which includes the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate....
 when elected to his first term as U.S. Senator in 1806.

Family

On April 11, 1799 Clay married Lucretia Hart at the Hart home in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World," it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region....
. She was a sister to Captain Nathaniel G. T. Hart, who died in the Massacre of the River Raisin in the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
. Clay and his wife had eleven children (six daughters and five sons): Henrietta (1800), Theodore (1802), Thomas (1803), Susan (1805), Anne (1807), Lucretia (1809), Henry, Jr.
Henry Clay, Jr.

Henry Clay, Jr. was an United States soldier and statesman from Kentucky. He was the second son of Senator and Congressman Henry Clay and Lucretia Hart, brother of James Brown Clay and John Morrison Clay, and was born on his family's estate of Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, in Lexington, Kentucky....
(1811), Eliza (1813), Laura (October 1815), James Brown
James Brown Clay

James Brown Clay was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.Born in Washington, D.C., while his father, Henry Clay, was serving in the United States Congress, James Brown Clay was named for the husband of his maternal aunt, James Brown ....
 (1817), and John
John Morrison Clay

John Morrison Gay was a Kentucky thoroughbred breeder, a son of statesman Henry Clay, and a husband of Josephine Russell Clay and the brother of Henry Clay, Jr....
 (1821). Seven of Clay's children preceded him in death. By 1835 all six daughters had died of varying causes from whooping cough to yellow fever
Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute Virus disease. It is an important cause of hemorrhage illness in many African and South American countries despite existence of an effective vaccine....
 to complications of childbirth
Childbirth

Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the delivery of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus. The process of normal human childbirth is categorized in three stages of labour: the shortening and dilation of the cervix, descent and delivery of the infant, and delivery of the placenta.....
, and Henry Clay Jr. was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista

The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexico army in the Mexican-American War....
 during the Mexican-American War.

His wife Lucretia died in 1864 at the age of 83 and is interred with her husband in the vault of his monument at the Lexington Cemetery.

Clay was a second cousin of abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay and the great-grandfather of suffragette
Suffragette

File:British suffragette.jpgSuffragette is a term originally coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for the more Political radicalism and militant members of the late-19th and early-20th century movement for women's suffrage Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Politica...
 Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge

Madeline McDowell Breckinridge was a leader of the women?s suffrage movement and one of Kentucky's leading Progressivism in the United States....
.

Duel

On January 3, 1809, Clay introduced to the Kentucky General Assembly a resolution requiring members to wear homespun suits rather than British broadcloth
Broadcloth

Broadcloth is a dense woolen textile. Modern broadcloth can be composed of cotton, silk, or polyester, but traditionally broadcloth was made solely of wool....
. Only two members voted against the patriotic measure. One of them was Humphrey Marshall, an "aristocratic lawyer who possessed a sarcastic tongue" and who had been hostile toward Clay in 1806 during the trial of Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, Jr. was an United States politician, American Revolutionary War hero, and adventurer. He served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , under Thomas Jefferson....
. Clay and Marshall nearly came to blows on the Assembly floor and Clay challenged Marshall to a duel
Duel

As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies, a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with their combat doctrines....
. The duel took place on January 9 in Shippingport, Indiana. They each had three turns. Clay grazed Marshall once, just below the chest. Marshall hit Clay once in the thigh.

Speaker of the House

In the summer of 1811 Clay was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was chosen Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic Party representing California's 8th congressional district....
 on the first day of his first session, something that had never been done before or since. During the fourteen years following his first election, he was re-elected five times to the House and to the speakership.

Before Clay's entrance into the House, the position of Speaker had been that of a rule enforcer and mediator. Clay turned the speakership into a position of power second only to the President of the United States. He immediately appointed members of the War Hawk
War Hawk

War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the United States House of Representatives of the Twelfth United States Congress of the United States who advocated waging war against United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the War of 1812....
 faction (of which he was the "guiding spirit") to all the important committees, effectively giving him control of the House; quite a maneuver for a 34-year-old House freshman. The War Hawks, mostly from the South and the West, resented British violation of U.S. maritime rights and treatment of U.S. sailors. They advocated for a declaration of war against the British.

As the Congressional leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, Clay took charge of the agenda, especially as a "War Hawk
War Hawk

War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the United States House of Representatives of the Twelfth United States Congress of the United States who advocated waging war against United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the War of 1812....
," supporting the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
 with the British Empire
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927....
. Later, as one of the peace commissioners, Clay helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent

The Treaty of Ghent , signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, currently in Belgium, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 and signed it on December 24, 1814. In 1815, while still in Europe, he helped negotiate a commerce treaty with Great Britain. Also during his early House service, he strongly opposed the creation of a National Bank
First Bank of the United States

The First Bank of the United States was a bank chartered by the United States Congress on February 25, 1791. The charter was for 20 years. The Bank was created to handle the financial needs and requirements of the central government of the newly formed United States, which had previously been thirteen individual colonies with their own ban...
, in part because his personal ownership in several small banks in his hometown of Lexington. Later he changed his position and gave strong support for the Second National Bank
Second Bank of the United States

The Second Bank of the United States was opened in January 1817, six years after the First Bank of the United States lost its charter. The Second Bank of the United States was headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the nation....
 when he was seeking the presidency.

Henry Clay's tenure as Speaker of the House shaped the history of Congress. Evidence from committee assignment and roll call records shows that Clay's leadership strategy was highly complex and that it advanced his public policy goals as well as his political ambition. [Strahan et al. 2000]

Henry Clay helped establish the American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society

The American Colonization Society was an organization that helped in founding Liberia, a colony on the coast of West Africa. In 1821 Black Americans traveled there from the United States....
, a group that wanted to send freed slaves to Africa and that founded Monrovia
Monrovia

Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Mesurado, it lies within Montserrado County, the most populous county in Liberia....
 in Liberia
Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, C?te d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean....
 for that purpose. Clay presided at the founding meeting of the ACS on December 21, 1816, at the Davis Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 Attendees also included Robert Finley
Robert Finley

Robert Finley was briefly the president of the University of Georgia. Finley was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University at the age of 15....
, James Monroe
James Monroe

James Monroe was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida ; the Missouri Compromise , in which Missouri was declared a slave state; the admission of Maine in 1820 as a free state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine , declaring U.S....
, Bushrod Washington
Bushrod Washington

'Bushrod Washington' was a Supreme Court of the United States associate justice and the nephew of George Washington. While serving on the Marshall Court, he authored the opinion of Corfield v....
, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
, Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key was an United States lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, Washington, D.C., who wrote the words to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."...
, and Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman during the nation's antebellum. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests....
.

The American System

Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States. He was a leading United States Southern politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century....
 helped to pass the Tariff of 1816 as part of the national economic plan Clay called "The American System
American System (economic plan)

The American System was a mercantilist economic plan based on the "American School" ideas of Alexander Hamilton, expanded upon later by Friedrich List, consisting of a high tariff to support internal improvements such as road-building, and a national bank to encourage productive enterprise and form a national currency....
," rooted in Alexander Hamilton's American School
American School (economics)

The American School, also known as "National System", represents three different yet related constructs in politics, policy and philosophy....
. Described later by Friedrich List
Friedrich List

Friedrich List was a leading 19th Century Germany and American economist who developed the "National System" or what some would call today the National System of Innovation....
, it was designed to allow the fledgling American manufacturing sector, largely centered on the eastern seaboard, to compete with British manufacturing.

After the conclusion of the War of 1812, British factories were overwhelming American ports with inexpensive goods. To persuade voters in the western states to support the tariff, Clay advocated federal government support for internal improvements to infrastructure, principally roads and canals. These internal improvements would be financed by the tariff and by sale of the public lands, prices for which would be kept high to generate revenue. Finally, a national bank would stabilize the currency and serve as the nexus of a truly national financial system.

The American System was supported by many in both the North and the South at first. Only later, with the Tariff of 1828
Tariff of 1828

The Tariff of 1828, enacted on May 19, 1828 , was a protective tariff passed by the Congress of the United States. It was labeled the Tariff of Abominations by its southern detractors because of the effects it had on the Antebellum southern economy....
, did the South break away from their support, leading to the Nullification Crisis
Nullification Crisis

The Nullification Crisis was a sectionalism crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by the Ordinance of Nullification, an attempt by the state of South Carolina to Nullification a federal law passed by the United States Congress....
. It was ultimately both a cause and a casualty of the increasing sectionalism between north and south (and to some extent between east and west) that was continually to worsen in the decades leading up to the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. It would take the defeat of the South to restore the nation's protectionist policies, which then continued through the early 20th century.

The Missouri Compromise and 1820s

In 1820 a dispute erupted over the extension of slavery in Missouri Territory. Clay helped settle this dispute by gaining Congressional approval for a plan called the "Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the slave state and free state factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the Historic regions of the United States....
." It brought in Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
 as a free state and Missouri
Missouri

Missouri is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska....
 as a slave state (thus maintaining the balance in the Senate, which had included 11 free and 11 slave states), and except for Missouri it forbade slavery north of 36š 30' (the northern boundary of Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
).

In national terms, the old Republican Party caucus had ceased to function by 1820. Clay ran for president in 1824 and came in fourth place. However, none of the candidates had received a majority of the votes, so the House of Representatives chose the victor. Clay used his influence to support John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was an Foreign relations of the United States and Politics of the United States who served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829....
, a fellow nationalist, who won despite having trailed Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
 in both the popular and electoral votes. Adams then appointed Clay as U.S. Secretary of State in what Jackson partisans termed "the corrupt bargain." Clay, undeterred, then used his influence to build a national network of supporters, called National Republicans. In 1824, Clay challenged to a duel Virginia Representative John Randolph
John Randolph of Roanoke

John Randolph , known as John Randolph of Roanoke, was a leader in Congress from Virginia and spokesman for the "Old Republican" or "Quids" faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that wanted to restrict the federal government's roles....
, who had referred to Clay as "this being, so brilliant yet so corrupt, which, like a rotten mackerel
Mackerel

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They occur in all tropical and temperate seas....
 by moonlight, shined and stunk." The first time both fired and missed. The second time Clay shot a hole in Randolph’s coat. Randolph fired into the air and then offered Clay a handshake saying, “You owe me a coat, Mr. Clay." Clay shook Randolph’s hand, saying, “I am glad the debt is no greater." Thomas Hart Benton called this "the last high-toned duel I have witnessed."

Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
, outmaneuvered for the Presidency in 1824, combined with John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States. He was a leading United States Southern politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century....
 to form a coalition that defeated Adams in 1828. That new coalition became a full-fledged party that, by 1834, called itself the Democrats
History of the United States Democratic Party

The history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
. By 1836, Clay had merged the National Republicans with other factions to form the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President of the United States Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party ....
. In domestic policy Clay promoted the American System, with a high tariff to encourage manufacturing, and an extensive program of internal improvements (such as roads and canals) to build up the domestic market. After a long fight he did secure a high tariff in 1828, but did not get the spending for internal improvements. In 1822, President James Monroe
James Monroe

James Monroe was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida ; the Missouri Compromise , in which Missouri was declared a slave state; the admission of Maine in 1820 as a free state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine , declaring U.S....
 vetoed a bill to build the Cumberland Road (crossing the Allegheny mountains).

In foreign policy, Clay was the leading American supporter of independence movements and revolutions in Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
 after 1817. Between 1821 and 1826, the U.S. recognized all the new countries, except Uruguay
Uruguay

Uruguay is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.7 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area....
 (whose independence was debated and recognized only later). When in 1826 the U.S. was invited to attend the Columbia Conference of new nations, opposition emerged, and the American delegation never arrived. Clay supported the Greek
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
 independence revolutionaries in 1824 who wished to separate from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
, an early move into European affairs.

The Nullification Crisis
Nullification Crisis

The Nullification Crisis was a sectionalism crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by the Ordinance of Nullification, an attempt by the state of South Carolina to Nullification a federal law passed by the United States Congress....

After the passage of the Tariff Act of 1828, which raised tariffs considerably in an attempt to protect fledgling factories built under previous tariff legislation, South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
 attempted to nullify U.S. tariff laws. It threatened to secede
Secession

Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. It is not to be confused with succession, the act of following in order or sequence....
 from the Union if the Federal government tried to enforce the tariff laws. Furious, President Jackson threatened to lead an army to South Carolina and hang any man who refused to obey the law.

The crisis worsened until 1833 when Clay, again a U.S. Senator re-elected by Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
 in 1831, helped to broker a deal in Congress to lower the tariff gradually. This measure helped to preserve the supremacy of the Federal government over the states, but the crisis was indicative of the developing conflict between the northern and southern United States over economics and slavery.

Candidate for president

Clay44
As the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President of the United States Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party ....
 emerged in 1832-34, Clay immediately became its dominant leader, centering its program around the "American System," a program designed to unify all portions of the country through the economic policies of Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Fathers of the United States, economist, and political philosopher. He led calls for the Philadelphia Convention, was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and cowrote the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation....
 in his Report on Manufactures
Report on Manufactures

The Report on Manufactures is the third report, and magnum opus, of Founding Fathers of the United States and 1st U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton....
.
The Democratic Party, which emerged from the old Democratic-Republican Party at the same time as the National Republican Party, opposed the American System of the Whig Party in each successive election until the emergence of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
 of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
 in the late 1850s.

Clay ran for president five times but was never able to win, though in expectation of his election to the presidency, a massive set of Gothic Revival bedroom furniture was commissioned by some of Clay's wealthy supporters that would fit in the White House
White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian architecture and has been the executive residence of every U.S....
 master bedroom.

  • In 1824
    United States presidential election, 1824

    In the United States presidential election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected President of the United States on February 9, 1825, after the election was decided by the United States House of Representatives....
     Clay ran together with John Quincy Adams
    John Quincy Adams

    John Quincy Adams was an Foreign relations of the United States and Politics of the United States who served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829....
    , Andrew Jackson
    Andrew Jackson

    Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
    , and William H. Crawford
    William H. Crawford

    William Harris Crawford was an United States politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a United States presidential election, 1824....
    , all as Democratic-Republican candidates. There was no clear majority in the Electoral College
    Electoral college

    An electoral college is a set of Votings who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entity, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way....
    . In 1823, Crawford suffered a stroke. Even though he recovered in 1824, this crippled his bid for the presidency.
    • The election was thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives. As per the Twelfth Amendment, only the top three candidates in the electoral vote were candidates in the House: Jackson, Adams, and Crawford. Clay was left out, but as Speaker of the House, would play a crucial role in deciding the presidency. Clay detested Jackson and had said of him, “I cannot believe that killing 2,500 Englishmen at New Orleans qualifies for the various, difficult, and complicated duties of the Chief Magistracy
      Chief Magistrate

      Chief Magistrate is a generic designation for a public official whose office -- individual or collegial -- is the highest in his or her class, in either of the fundamental meanings of Magistrate : as a major political and administrative office , and/or as a judge ....
      .” Moreover, Clay's American System was far closer to Adams's position on tariffs and internal improvements than Jackson's or Crawford's, so Clay threw his support to Adams. John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, on the first ballot.
    • Adams's victory shocked Jackson, who expected that, as the winner of a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes, he would be elected President. When President Adams appointed Clay his Secretary of State, essentially declaring him heir to the Presidency — Adams and his three predecessors had all served as Secretary of State — Jackson and his followers accused Adams and Clay of striking a "corrupt bargain." The Jacksonians would campaign on this claim for the next four years, ultimately leading to Jackson's victory in the Adams-Jackson rematch in 1828. Clay denied that any bargain had been struck, and no evidence has ever been found to show that there was.


  • In 1832
    United States presidential election, 1832

    The United States presidential election of 1832 saw incumbent President Andrew Jackson, candidate of the United States Democratic Party, easily win reelection against Henry Clay of Kentucky....
     Clay was unanimously nominated for the presidency by the National Republicans; Jackson, by the Democrats. The main issue was the policy of continuing the Second Bank of the United States
    Second Bank of the United States

    The Second Bank of the United States was opened in January 1817, six years after the First Bank of the United States lost its charter. The Second Bank of the United States was headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the nation....
    . He lost by a wide margin to the highly popular Jackson (55% to 37%).


  • In 1840
    United States presidential election, 1840

    The United States presidential election of 1840 saw President of the United States Martin Van Buren fight for re-election against an economic depression and a United States Whig Party unified for the first time behind war hero William Henry Harrison....
    , Clay was a candidate for the Whig nomination, but he was defeated in the party convention by supporters of war hero William Henry Harrison
    William Henry Harrison

    William Henry Harrison was an Military history of the United States and Politics of the United States, the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, and the first president to die in office....
    . Harrison was chosen because his war record reminded people of Jackson and he was seen as more electable than Clay. If the Whigs had been more aware of the political weakness of President Martin Van Buren
    Martin Van Buren

    Martin Van Buren was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Before his presidency, he served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States and the 10th United States Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson....
    , they would have probably selected Clay.


  • In 1844
    United States presidential election, 1844

    The United States presidential election of 1844 saw Democratic Party James Knox Polk defeat Whig Party Henry Clay in a close contest that turned on foreign policy, with Polk favoring the annexation of Texas and Clay opposed....
    , Clay was nominated by the Whigs against James K. Polk
    James K. Polk

    James Knox Polk was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 4, 1849. He was 49 years old at the time of his inauguration, making him the youngest President up to that time....
    , the Democratic candidate. Clay lost due in part to national sentiment for Polk's program "54š40' or Fight" campaign which was to settle the northern boundary of the United States with Canada then under the control of the British Empire. Clay also opposed admitting Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
     as a state because he felt it would reawaken the slavery
    Slavery

    Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to Labor for another . Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive Remuneration in return for their labor....
     issue and provoke Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
     to declare war. Polk took the opposite view and public sentiment was with him, especially in the Southern United States. Nevertheless, the election was close; New York
    New York

    The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
    's 36 electoral votes proved the difference, and went to Polk by a slim 5,000 vote margin. Liberty Party candidate James G. Birney
    James G. Birney

    James Gillespie Birney was an abolitionist, politician and jurist born in Danville, Kentucky. From 1816 to 1818, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives....
     won a little over 15,000 votes in New York and may have taken votes from Clay.
    • Clay's warnings came true as annexation led to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) while the North and South came to heads over the extending slavery into Texas
      Texas

      Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
       and beyond during Polk's Presidency.


  • In 1848
    United States presidential election, 1848

    The United States presidential election of 1848 was an open race. President of the United States James K. Polk, having achieved virtually all of his objectives in one term and suffering from declining health that would take his life less than four months after leaving office, kept his promise not to seek re-election....
    , Zachary Taylor
    Zachary Taylor

    Zachary Taylor was an Military of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States.Known as "Old Rough and Ready", Taylor had a 40-year military career in the United States Army, serving in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War, and Seminole Wars before achieving fame leading U.S....
    , a Mexican-American War hero, won the Whig nomination, again depriving Clay of the nomination.


Henry Clay lost his first two presidential bids by wide margins, due mainly to his failure to form a national coalition or to build political organization that could match the Jacksonian Democrats. And although the Whigs had become as adept at political organizing as the Democrats by the time of Clay's final presidential bid, Clay himself failed to connect to the people, partly because of his unpopular views on slavery and the American System in the South. When Clay was warned not to take a stance against slavery or be so strong for the American System, he was quoted as saying, "I'd rather be right than be President!" This remark has been quoted or paraphrased by several presidential candidates since, as a statement of principle over ambition.

The Compromise of 1850

After losing the Whig Party nomination to Zachary Taylor in 1848, Clay decided to retire to his Ashland estate in Kentucky. Retired for less than a year, he was in 1849 again elected to the U.S. Senate from Kentucky. During his term, the Northern and Southern states were again wrangling over slavery extension, as Clay had predicted they would, this time over the admission or exclusion of slavery in the territories recently acquired from Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 in the Mexican-American War. Though always the "Great Compromiser," Clay helped work out the misnomer known as the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War ....
.

  • The Fugitive Slave Act was an act passed by Congress, pursuant to the United States Constitution
    United States Constitution

    The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
    's Art. IV, Sec. 2, cl. 3, forcing citizens to turn in runaway slaves (North or South) or face a sentence of up to 6 years of prison or a fine in excess of 1,000 dollars. Also, it set up courts to handle disputes of runaway slaves, a point of great contention between the North and South. The judges in these courts were paid $5 to let a slave go and $10 to send him back to his owner.*


Corruption Allegations

Some notable historians, such as Clay Biographer Maurice Baxter in Henry Clay: Lawyer have hinted at ethics impropriety by the standards of today's Senate and bar ethics codes. A conflict of interest tantamount to bribery allegedly exists in Clay's capacity as an officeholder in the United States Senate vis-a-vis the Second Bank of the United States.

Clay in court

According to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor is an United States jurist and the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States....
:

Some of the cases Clay argued continue to be cited as precedent today. In Osborn v. United States [34 U.S. 573 (1824)], Clay argued on behalf of the Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States

The Second Bank of the United States was opened in January 1817, six years after the First Bank of the United States lost its charter. The Second Bank of the United States was headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the nation....
, which was a nationwide bank chartered by Congress. Clay challenged the constitutionality of an Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 tax levied upon the bank and sought an injunction to force the state's auditor to return the improperly seized taxes. The Supreme Court agreed with Clay and ordered the auditor to return the taxes. In doing so, the Court found that the Eleventh Amendment
Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by the United States Congress on March 4, 1794 and was ratified on February 7, 1795....
 — which bars lawsuits against the states — did not apply to the state auditor. Osborn is still relevant today: It has been cited twenty-six times since I took the bench in 1981, and was cited just last term by Justice David Souter in a dissent. [See Seminole Tribe
Seminole Tribe v. Florida

Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida, Case citation , was a Supreme Court of the United States case which held that Article One of the U.S. Constitution did not give the United States Congress the power to abrogation doctrine the sovereign immunity of the U.S....
.] Nor is Osborn the only case argued by Clay to be cited in recent times. Clay also argued on behalf of a Kentucky creditor who sought to collect a debt from a person who declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
 under New York law. In that case,
Ogden v. Saunders
Ogden v. Saunders

Ogden v. Saunders, Case citation , was a Supreme Court of the United States case that determined the scope of a bankruptcy law in contrast to a clause of the Constitution of the United States....
[25 U.S. 213 (1827)], the Court concluded that the New York bankruptcy law was constitutional, so that the debtor was no longer liable to the Kentucky creditor. The case has been cited 86 times since it was decided, three times since I came on the bench.


Other cases of note include: Groves v. Slaughter and Green v. Biddle.

Henry Clay

Personality

to Carl Schurz
Carl Schurz

Carl Schurz was a Germany revolutionary, United States statesman and reformer, and Union Army General officer in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and noted orator, who in 1869 became the first German American elected to the United States Senate....
, Clay succeeded for the following reasons:

"Clay's quick intelligence and sympathy, and his irreproachable conduct in youth, explain his precocious prominence in public affairs. In his persuasiveness as an orator and his charming personality lay the secret of his power. He early trained himself in the art of speech-making, in the forest, the field and even the barn, with horse and ox for audience. By contemporaries his voice was declared to be the finest musical instrument that they ever heard. His eloquence was in turn majestic, fierce, playful, insinuating; his gesticulation natural, vivid, large, powerful."

"In public he was of magnificent bearing, possessing the true oratorical temperament, the nervous exaltation that makes the orator feel and appear a superior being, transfusing his thought, passion and will into the mind and heart of the listener; but his imagination frequently ran away with his understanding, while his imperious temper and ardent combativeness hurried him and his party into disadvantageous positions. The ease, also, with which he outshone men of vastly greater learning lured him from the task of intense and arduous study. His speeches were characterized by skill of statement, ingenious grouping of facts, fervent diction, and ardent patriotism; sometimes by biting sarcasm, but also by superficial research, half-knowledge and an unwillingness to reason a proposition to its logical results."

"In private, his never-failing courtesy, his agreeable manners and a noble and generous heart for all who needed protection against the powerful or the lawless, endeared him to hosts of friends. His popularity was as great and as inexhaustible among his neighbors as among his fellow-citizens generally. He pronounced upon himself a just judgment when he wrote: 'If any one desires to know the leading and paramount object of my public life, the preservation of this Union will furnish him the key.'"

Death

Clay continued to serve both the Union he loved and his home state of Kentucky until June 29, 1852, when he died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
, at the age of 75. Clay was the first person to lie in state
Lying in state

Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased....
 in the United States Capitol
United States Capitol

The United States Capitol serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States....
. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery and the eulogy was provided by Theodore Frelinghuysen
Theodore Frelinghuysen

Theodore Frelinghuysen was an United States politician, serving as New Jersey Attorney General, United States Senate, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President of the United States with Henry Clay on the Whig Party ticket in U.S....
, who ran as Clay's Vice-Presidential candidate in the election of 1844. Clay's headstone reads simply: "I know no North - no South - no East - no West."

Estate

Clay's Lexington home for many years was his farm and mansion, Ashland
Ashland (Henry Clay home)

Ashland is the name of the estate of the nineteenth-century Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, located in Lexington, Kentucky, in the central Bluegrass region of the state....
, named for the many ash trees on the property. He owned as many as 60 slaves at once. It was there he introduced the Hereford
Hereford (cattle)

Hereford cattle are a widely used breed in temperate areas, mainly for Beef cattle production.Originally from Herefordshire, England , they are found in the temperate parts of Australia....
 livestock breed to the United States. Rebuilt and remodeled by his heirs, Ashland is now a museum. The museum includes 17 acres (81,000 mē) of the original estate grounds and is located on Richmond Road (US 25) in Lexington. It is open to the public (admission charged). For several years (1866-1878), the mansion was used as a residence for the regent of Kentucky University, forerunner of the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a state university , co-educational, university, and is also the state's land-grant university, located in Lexington, Kentucky, Kentucky....
 and present-day Transylvania University
Transylvania University

Transylvania University is a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States related by covenant to the Christian Church . The college is located on a 35 acre campus about 4 blocks north of downtown Lexington, Kentucky, Kentucky, and is currently ranked number 77 on US News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges....
.

Henry Clay is credited with introducing the Mint Julep
Mint Julep

The mint julep is a mixed alcoholic beverage drink, or cocktail, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States....
 drink to Washington, D.C. at the Willard Hotel during his residence as a senator in the city.

Monuments and memorials

  • Henry Clay monument in Pottsville
    Pottsville, Pennsylvania

    Pottsville is the largest and only chartered city in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is thus the county seat thereof. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census....
    , Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
     
  • Clay Streets in numerous cities, including New Haven
    New Haven, Connecticut

    New Haven is the third largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport, Connecticut and Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people....
    , Connecticut
    Connecticut

    Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
    , Richmond, Virginia
    Richmond, Virginia

    Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
    , and Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Vicksburg, Mississippi

    Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles north by west of New Orleans, Louisiana on the Mississippi River and Yazoo River rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital....
    , are named in his honor.
  • Ashland Ave. in Chicago, Illinois was named after his estate.
  • Mount Clay
    Mount Clay

    Mount Clay, or Mount Reagan, is a peak located in Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, New Hampshire in Coos County, New Hampshire in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire....
     in the Presidential Range
    Presidential Range

    The Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, almost entirely in Coos County, New Hampshire....
     of New Hampshire
    New Hampshire

    New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
     was named for Clay, but has since been renamed Mount Reagan.
  • Fifteen counties in the United States are named for him: Clay County, Alabama
    Clay County, Alabama

    Clay County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, Florida
    Clay County, Florida

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 140,814. The United States Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 178,899 ....
    ; Clay County, Georgia
    Clay County, Georgia

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia . As of 2000, the population was 3,357. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 3,207 ....
    ; Clay County, Illinois
    Clay County, Illinois

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, and determined by the United States Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S....
    ; Clay County, Indiana
    Clay County, Indiana

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 26,556. The county seat is Brazil, Indiana. Clay County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute metropolitan area....
    ; Clay County, Kansas
    Clay County, Kansas

    Clay County is a U.S. county located in North Central Kansas, in the Central United States United States. The population was estimated to be 8,625 in the year 2006....
    ; Clay County, Minnesota
    Clay County, Minnesota

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2000, the population was 51,229. Its name is in honor of American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, Mississippi
    Clay County, Mississippi

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 21,979. Its name is in honor of American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, Missouri
    Clay County, Missouri

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 184,006. Its county seat is Liberty, Missouri. The county was organized in 1822 and was named in honor of United States House of Representatives Henry Clay from Kentucky, later member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of Sta...
    ; Clay County, Nebraska
    Clay County, Nebraska

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 7,039. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, North Carolina
    Clay County, North Carolina

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 8,775. Its county seat is Hayesville, North Carolina....
    ; Clay County, South Dakota
    Clay County, South Dakota

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of 2000, the population was 13,537. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, Tennessee
    Clay County, Tennessee

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its name is in honor of American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; Clay County, Texas
    Clay County, Texas

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    ; and Clay County, West Virginia
    Clay County, West Virginia

    Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous USA statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
    .
  • The town of Ashland, Virginia
    Ashland, Virginia

    Ashland is a town located just north of Richmond, Virginia in Hanover County, Virginia, Virginia., United States. The population was 6,619 at the 2000 census....
     located in the county of Clay's birth, Ashland County, Ohio
    Ashland County, Ohio

    Ashland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio, United States, and was formed in 1846 from parts of Huron County, Ohio, Lorain County, Ohio, Richland County, Ohio and Wayne County, Ohio Counties....
     and Ashland County, Wisconsin
    Ashland County, Wisconsin

    Ashland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and was formed on March 27, 1860, from La Pointe County, Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population is 16,866....
     were named for his estate, as were the cities of Ashland, Kentucky
    Ashland, Kentucky

    Ashland is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 United States Census....
    , Ashland, Alabama
    Ashland, Alabama

    Ashland is a town in Clay County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. The population was 1,965 at the United States Census 2000, at which time it was a city; according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 1,885....
    , and Ashland, Pennsylvania
    Ashland, Pennsylvania

    Ashland is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania and Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 12 miles northwest of Pottsville, Pennsylvania....
    .
  • In New Orleans: Uptown, Henry Clay Avenue, and Downtown 20-foot-tall monument at the center of Lafayette Square.
  • There is a Henry Clay High School
    Henry Clay High School

    For other uses of the acronym HCHS, see HCHS .Henry Clay High School is the oldest public high school in Lexington, Kentucky, opened on Main Street in 1928....
     located in Lexington, Kentucky
    Lexington, Kentucky

    Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World," it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region....
    , a Henry Clay Middle School located in Los Angeles, California
    Los Angeles, California

    Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
    , Henry Clay Elementary School in the Hegewisch neighborhood in Chicago, and a Henry Clay Elementary School in his birthplace, Hanover County, Virginia
    Hanover County, Virginia

    Hanover County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 86,320. A 2007 estimate shows the county's population has grown to 100,721....
    .
  • The "Instituto Educacional Henry Clay" located in Caracas, Venezuela, is a bilingual private school.
  • The Clay Dormitory at Transylvania University
    Transylvania University

    Transylvania University is a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States related by covenant to the Christian Church . The college is located on a 35 acre campus about 4 blocks north of downtown Lexington, Kentucky, Kentucky, and is currently ranked number 77 on US News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges....
     in Lexington
    Lexington, Kentucky

    Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World," it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region....
    , Kentucky
    Kentucky

    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
    , is named after Senator Clay.
  • The Lafayette class submarine
    Lafayette class submarine

    The Lafayette class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the Ethan Allen class submarine of fleet ballistic missile submarine, slightly larger and generally improved....
     USS Henry Clay (SSBN-625)
    USS Henry Clay (SSBN-625)

    USS Henry Clay , a Lafayette class submarine ballistic missile submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Henry Clay , the American statesman and orator....
     remains the only ship of the United States Navy
    United States Navy

    The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
     named in his honor.
  • Clay, New York
    Clay, New York

    Clay is a town in Onondaga County, New York, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 58,805, making it Syracuse's largest suburb....
     is named for the statesman, including the road Henry Clay Blvd.
  • Henry Clay Village, on the left bank of the Brandywine Creek just outside of the city limits of Wilmington, Delaware, had factory and mill worker's residences just downstream and across from the duPont powder mills and just upstream and across from the Joseph Bancroft textile mill. On its way back from Washington DC to Kentucky after his death in 1852, Clay's remains were laid in state briefly at the old Wilmington City Hall on Market Street.
  • Character actor
    Character actor

    A character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading actor ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to leading actor....
     Robert F. Simon
    Robert F. Simon

    Robert F. Simon was a prolific United States character actor, often portraying military or authority figure roles. Though his face was recognized by audiences, he was mostly unknown by name....
     portrayed Clay in the NBC series Profiles in Courage
    Profiles in Courage (TV series)

    Profiles in Courage was a history anthology television series that appeared on NBC from November 8, 1964 to May 9, 1965. The series was based on the recently assassination President of the United States John F....
     in the segment on Daniel Webster
    Daniel Webster

    Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman during the nation's antebellum. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests....
    .


External links

  • , (HenryClay.org)
  • For Henry Clay's election results.