Clay, Henry, 1777-1852

Congressman, U.S. senator, and secretary of state.

From the description of Papers 1812-1849. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 704551603

Henry Clay was born in Hanover Co., Va. in 1777 and died in 1852. He served as United States Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) and was elected to the Senate in 1831. John Randolph (1773-1831) was an American statesman known as John Randolph of Roanoke. He was born in Prince George Co., Va. Randolph's fiery denunciations of Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams led to a bloodless duel with Clay.

From the description of Clay/Randolph Duel Correspondence, 1826. (University of California, Santa Barbara). WorldCat record id: 221750780

Ammi Harrison was a successful attorney that practiced at New Haven, Connecticut during the early part of the 19th Century.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1834 February 24. (Murray State University). WorldCat record id: 671956236

Henry Clay, a U.S. Senator under several presidents, was born in 1777. Clay's political career began in 1803 with his election to the Kentucky Assembly as a Jeffersonian Democrat. He served there until 1806, when he was appointed to the Senate to fill the unexpired term of John Adair. During his short time in office (March 1807), he emerged as a spokesman for a system of federally funded internal improvements. In 1811, Clay attacked Andrew Jackson for his invasion of Florida. This act earned him a life time enemy. He actively supported John Quincy Adams after his own fourth place finish in the nonmajority presidential election. His support helped Adams win his election in the House of Representative. Adams rewarded Clay for his support by appointing him Secretary of State. In the next election, Jackson defeated Adams, causing Clay to return to Kentucky. In 1831, Clay was elected to the Senate again, remaining there until 1842. During his time in office, Clay led the opposition to the Jackson Administration, fought valinantly for policies he believed in, and ran for president. Clay retired from the Senate in 1842, but stayed in the political arena. He returned to the Senate in 1849 but his health deteriated and he passed away in 1852.

From the description of Henry Clay papers : letters, bonds, and land transactions, 1800-1848. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 37458518

Henry Clay, a U.S. Senator under several presidents, was born in 1777. Clay's political career began in 1803 with his election to the Kentucky Assembly as a Jeffersonian Democrat. He served there until 1806, when he was appointed to the Senate to fill the unexpired term of John Adair. During his short time in office (March 1807), he emerged as a spokesman for a system of federally funded internal improvements. In 1811, Clay attacked Andrew Jackson for his invasion of Florida. This act earned him a life time enemy. He actively supported John Quincy Adams after his own fourth place finish in the non-majority presidential election. His support helped Adams win his election in the House of Representative. Adams rewarded Clay for his support by appointing him Secretary of State. In the next election, Jackson defeated Adams, causing Clay to return to Kentucky. In 1831, Clay was elected to the Senate again, remaining there until 1842. During his time in office, Clay led the opposition to the Jackson Administration, fought valiantly for policies he believed in, and ran for president. Clay retired from the Senate in 1842, but stayed in the political arena. He returned to the Senate in 1849 but his health deteriorated and he passed away in 1852.

From the description of Henry Clay papers, 1832-1851. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 47730171

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1835 Mar. 27. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 47730170

Lexington, Kentucky, lawyer; Kentucky legislator, 1803-1806, 1807-1809; U.S. senator, 1806-1807, 1810, 1831-1842, 1849-1852; U.S. representative, 1811-1820; 1823-1824; U.S. secretary of state, 1825-1829; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. president, 1824, 1832, 1844.

From the description of Letter : Ashland, [Lexington, Kentucky], to J[ames] T.B. Stapp, Vandalia, Illinois, 1843 Nov. 16. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 28397885

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. senator from Kentucky, secretary of state, four time candidate for the presidency, and statesman.

From the description of Letter, 18 Sept. 1850. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198110

From the description of Letter, 4 October 1850. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198135

From the description of Letter, 9 July 1847. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198115

From the description of Letter, 18 August 1848. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197937

From the description of Letter, 1 Dec. 1843. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197933

From the description of Letter, 14 Sept. 1848. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197934

From the description of Letter, 17 Sept. 1850. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197936

From the description of Letter, 17 April 1848. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197935

From the description of Letter, 4 October 1850. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198112

Henry Clay (1777-1852), U.S. Secretary of State (1825-1829) and representative and senator from Kentucky.

From the description of Papers of Henry Clay, 1825-1829. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122540412

United States congressman and senator from Kentucky, secretary of state, statesman, and presidential candidate.

From the description of Henry Clay : miscellaneous papers, 1799-1855. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49201472

From the description of Speech, 1841 Feb. 4. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198117

Henry Clay (1777-1852), Congressman, Senator, and Secretary of State, was born in Virginia. He began a law practice in Kentucky in 1797 and there served in a number of political roles in the State House of Representatives, the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and later as Secretary of State for President John Quincy Adams.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1822 (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 76804439

American statesman and senator.

From the description of Letters of Henry Clay [manuscript], 1834-1848. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647848289

Henry Clay (1777-1852) of Kentucky was a United States Senator, Representative, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and unsuccessful presidential candidate.

From the guide to the Henry Clay Papers, ., 1834-1844, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

Kentucky statesman.

From the description of Letters, 1813-1845. (Fisk University). WorldCat record id: 39902701

From the description of Letters to Joel Poinsett and Richard Henry Wilde [manuscript], 1774-1847. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647867754

From the description of Letters, 1774-1847. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 34931272

American lawyer and statesman.

From the description of Henry Clay letter to John Wood, Jr. [manuscript], 1846 September 10. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647818396

From the description of Papers of Henry Clay [manuscript], 1831-1839. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647808284

Kentucky statesman and political leader.

From the description of Papers, 1802-1852 1821-1851 (bulk). (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 17363934

Clay practiced law in Lexington, Kentucky from 1797, and held numerous positions in state and national politics, including in the U.S. Senate (1831-1842 and 1849-1852).

From the description of Letters of Henry Clay, 1802, 1841. (Harvard Law School Library). WorldCat record id: 234337961

Henry Clay was a United States Senator from Ashland, Kentucky, and a Whig presidential candidate.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1843 Mar. 25. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 122520255

Henry Clay was a Senator from Kentucky.

From the description of Clay, Henry, 1777-1852 1838 May 17 Letter. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49224016

Kentucky statesman, from Lexington (Fayette Co.).

From the description of Papers, 1802-1852. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 19347440

From the description of Letter : to Henry Clay, 1828. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 32410176

American statesman.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Ashland, to George Corbin Washington, grand-nephew of George Washington, 1830 May 17. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270903873

From the description of Autograph letters signed : Washington, to Thomas Ewing, 1849 Dec. 17. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270903876

From the description of Statement of judgement and fees in a legal case [Laird vs Taylor?] : [n.p.], 1802 June. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270903949

From the description of Autograph document : Dept. of State, to Mr. Southard, 1826 Nov. 7. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270903875

Lawyer, congressman and senator from Kentucky, Secretary of State, statesman.

From the description of Legal document, 27 June 1803. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49197932

From the description of Letter, 6 December 1826. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49198114

American statesman, legislator, secretary of state, senator, congressman, and speaker of the House.

From the description of Letter, 1834. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122608802

Virgil David was president of the Lawrenceville Lyceum in Western Pennsylvania.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Washington, D.C., to Virgil David, n.p., 1836 May 26. (University of Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 79832598

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Washington, D.C., to Virgil David, n.p., 1836 May 26. (University of Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 55822836

American politician who played a leading role in the U.S. Congress; he was Secretary of State from 1825-1829 under Pres. John Quincy Adams.

From the description of Henry Clay letters, 1826-1833. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 63937089

Henry Clay (1777-1852), an American statesman, served as Congressman from Kentucky and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1811 to 1821 and 1823 to 1825. He was Secretary of State (1825-1829) and Whig Party senator (1831-1842, 1849-1852). Three times, he was the unsuccessful candidate for U.S. President (1824, 1832 and 1844).

From the description of William S. Hunt collection of Henry Clay materials, ca. 1800-1930s. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122597746

From the guide to the William S. Hunt collection of Henry Clay materials, ca. 1800-1930s, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)

Henry Clay, congressman, senator, and secretary of state, was residing at Ashland, Kentucky, with his wife, Lucretia Hart Clay, at the time that he wrote this letter. The comb manufacturing factory at Clayville, Kentucky, was directed by J. Whitaker (Josiah), Oliver Taylor, Peter G. Taylor, and Wm. Easter.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1829 Oct. 8. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 122403786

Henry Clay was born in Hanover County, Virginia, on April 12, 1777 and died on June 29, 1852 in Washington, D.C. He was an American statesman, U.S. congressman (1811-14, 1815-21, 1823-25) and U.S. senator (1806-07, 1810-11, 1831-42, 1849-52), who was a major promoter of the Missouri Compromise (1820), the compromise tariff of 1833 (ending the Nullification crisis), and the Compromise of 1850, all efforts to balance the rights of free and slave states. Clay was twice the unsuccessful Whig candidate for president (1832, 1844). Richard H. Chinn was at one time law partner of Henry Clay in Lexington, Kentucky. Lord Ashburton is Alexander Baring, the 1st Baron Ashburton (1774-1848), married Anne Bingham, a member of one of the wealthiest families in Pennsylvania, who secured for Baring Brothers the leadership (until the American Civil War, 1861-65) in financing U.S. foreign trade and selling U.S. bonds. As ambassador to the United States, Lord Ashburton negotiated with U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842) concerning the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1844. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 270976606

Henry Clay served in the Kentucky congress, U.S. Congress and made three unsuccessful runs for U.S. president.

From the description of Broadside, 1852 July 6. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49346970

John Green was a senator in the Kentucky General Assembly from Lincoln County. He studied law under Henry Clay, and was involved in the establishment of Centre College and the Kentucky Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, also known as the Deaf and Dumb Asylum.

From the description of Letter, 1826 Sept. 29. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 191917534

American politician. Among the important positions he held were Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary of State, and United States Senator.

From the description of Letter, 1849. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122605106

Herefords came to the United States in 1817 when statesman Henry Clay of Kentucky made the first importation, two bulls and two cows. This bill of sale is for a calf produced from these animals.

From the description of Henry Clay Hereford cattle bill of sale, 1818. (National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum). WorldCat record id: 61257690

Senator and representative from Kentucky; secretary of state under John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829.

From the description of Letters, 1838-1851. (Buffalo History Museum). WorldCat record id: 56843704

Lexington, Kentucky, lawyer; Kentucky legislator, 1803-1806, 1807-1809; U.S. senator, 1806-1807, 1810, 1831-1842, 1849-1852; U.S. representative, 1811-1820, 1823-1824; U.S. secretary of state, 1825-1829; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. president, 1824, 1832, 1844.

From the description of Document: Lexington, [Kentucky], 1801 Sept. 4. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 28397871

From the description of Letter: Ashland, [Lexington, Kentucky], to A[braham] Jonas, Columbus, Illinois, 1842 Sept. 16. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 28397875

American statesman and politician.

From the description of ALS, 1838 June 5, Washington, D.C., to Francis Taliaferro Brooke. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86138925

From the description of ALS, 1850 Apr. 2, Washington, D.C., to George G. Foster, New York, N.Y. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122645462

From the description of ALS : Washington, D.C., to Mathew Carey, 1824 Jan. 2. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122540657

Lexington, Kentucky, lawyer; Kentucky legislator, 1803-1806, 1807-1809; U.S. senator, 1806-1807, 1810, 1831-1842, 1849-1852; U.S. representative, 1811-1820, 1823-1824; U.S. secretary of state, 1825-1829; unsuccessful candidate for U.S. president, 1824-1832, 1844.

From the description of Documents, 1800-1823. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 28397889

Henry Clay (1777-1852) was an American politician and U.S. Senator from Kentucky.

From the description of Henry Clay letter, 1827 December 26. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 367475144

Appointment to the Jefferson Literary and Historical Society of Philadelphia.

From the description of Letters of Henry Clay [manuscript] 1820-1851. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647970132

U.S. senator from Kentucky.

From the description of Letter : Ashland, Ky., to A.M. January, 1842 September 17. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 32671840

Clay was a representative from Kentucky to the U.S. Congress (1811-1821; 1823-1825) and speaker of the House (1815-1820; 1823-1825), U. S. Secretary of State (1825-1829) and U. S. Senator from Kentucky (1806-1807; 1810-1811; 1831-1842; 1849-1852). He also ran for the U.S. Presidency for both the National Republican and Whig parties. Epes Sargent was a novelist, poet and the biographer of Henry Clay (1842 and subsequently expanded and revised).

From the description of [Letter] 1843 Jun. 24, Ashland [to] Epes Sargent / H. Clay. (Smith College). WorldCat record id: 190683723

Henry Clay (Sr.), born 12 April 1777, was the seventh of nine children of the Reverend John and Elizabeth Hudson Clay. His father died when Henry was four years old, and his mother married Captain Henry Watkins with whom she had seven more children. Watkins moved the family to Richmond, Virginia, where he secured employment for Clay in the office of the Virginia Court of Chancery, where he displayed an aptitude for law. Clay worked closely with George Wythe, Chancellor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, for four years, and then with Robert Brooke, the Virginia attorney general. Clay was admitted to practice law in 1797.

Clay relocated to Lexington, Virginia, and soon established a reputation for his legal skills and courtroom oratory. By 1812, he owned a productive 600-acre plantation called Ashland and numerous slaves to work the land. He had 60 slaves at the height of operations and likely produced tobacco and hemp.

After beginning his law career, Clay married Lucretia Hart on 11 April 1799. The couple had eleven children (six daughters and five sones): Henrietta (1800-1801); Theodore (1802-1870); Thomas (1803-1871); Susan (1805-1825); Anne (1807-1835); Lucretia (1809-1823); Henry, Jr. (1811-1847); Eliza (1813-1825); Laura (1815-1817); James Brown (1817-1864), and John (1821-1887). Seven of Clay's children died before him as well as his wife. By 1835, all six daughters had died of varying causes, two when very young, two as children, the other two as young women: from whooping cough, yellow fever, and complications of childbirth. Henry Clay, Jr. was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. Lucretia Hart Clay died in 1864 at the age of 83.

As a leading war hawk in 1812, he favored war with Britain and played a significant role in leading the nation to war in the War of 1812. In 1824 he ran for president and lost, but threw his electoral votes to John Quincy Adams, who made him secretary of state as the Jacksonians denounced what they considered a "corrupt bargain." He ran and lost again in 1832 and 1844 as the candidate of the Whig Party, which he founded and usually dominated. Clay was the foremost proponent of the American System, fighting for an increase in tariffs to foster industry in the United States, the use of federal funding to build and maintain infrastructure, and a strong national bank. He opposed the annexation of Texas, fearing it would inject the slavery issue into politics. Clay also opposed the Mexican-American War and the "Manifest Destiny" policy of Democrats, which cost him votes in the close 1844 election.

Dubbed the "Great Pacificator," Clay brokered important compromises during the Nullification Crisis and on the slavery issue. As part of the "Great Triumvirate" or "Immortal Trio," along with his colleagues Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, he was instrumental in formulating the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850. He was viewed as the primary representative of Western interests in this group, and was given the names "Henry of the West" and "The Western Star." A plantation owner, Clay held slaves during his lifetime but freed them in his Will.

On 29 June 1852, Henry Clay died of tuberculosis in Washington, DC, at the age of 75. He was the first person to lie in state in the United States Capitol.

From the guide to the Henry Clay letter MSS. 0310., 1844 July 1, (W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama)

CLAY, Henry, (father of James Brown Clay), a Senator and a Representative from Kentucky; born in the district known as "the Slashes," Hanover County, Va., April 12, 1777; attended the public schools; studied law in Richmond, Va.; admitted to the bar in 1797 and commenced practice in Lexington, Ky.; member, State house of representatives 1803; elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Adair and served from November 19, 1806, to March 3, 1807, despite being younger than the constitutional age limit of thirty years; member, State house of representatives 1808-1809, and served as speaker in 1809; again elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Buckner Thruston and served from January 4, 1810, to March 3, 1811; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses and served from March 4, 1811, to January 19, 1814, when he resigned; Speaker of the House of Representatives (Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses); appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate the treaty of peace with Great Britain in 1814; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Fourteenth Congress (March 4, 1815-March 3, 1817); seat declared vacant by the governor of Kentucky, "caused by the acceptance of Henry Clay to sign a commercial convention as minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain"; elected in a special election as a Democratic Republican to the Fourteenth Congress to fill his own vacancy on October 30, 1815; re-elected as a Democratic Republican to the Fifteenth and succeeding Congress (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1821); Speaker of the House of Representatives (Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses); elected to the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Congresses and served from March 3, 1823, to March 6, 1825, when he resigned; again served as Speaker of the House of Representatives (Eighteenth Congress); appointed Secretary of State by President John Quincy Adams 1825-1829; elected as a National Republican to the United States Senate on November 10, 1831, to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1831; reelected as a Whig in 1836 and served from November 10, 1831, until March 31, 1842, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses), Committee on Finance (Twenty-seventh Congress); unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Democratic Republican Party in 1824, of the National Republican Party in 1832, and of the Whig Party in 1844; again elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1849, until his death in Washington, D.C., June 29, 1852; lay in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, July 1, 1852; funeral services held in the Senate Chamber; interment in Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky. (from Biographical Congressional Directory)

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000482

From the description of Henry Clay correspondence, 1807-1852 (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 502389573

Congressman, politician, senator.

Born in Virginia, Clay studied law there and moved to Lexington, Ky. in 1797, where he became a prominent spokesman for the West. He was a member (1803-1806) and Speaker (1807-1810) of the Kentucky legislature and represented Kentucky as a United States Senator (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, and 1849-1852) and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1811-1814, 1815-1821, and 1823-1824). During all but one of his years of service in the House of Representatives, he served as Speaker. Clay also became John Quincy Adams' Secretary of State (1825-1829) after an unsuccessful campaign for the Presidency (1824) as the Whig Party candidate. His efforts to avoid dissolution of the Union over the slavery issue included the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850.

From the description of Henry Clay papers, 1801-1843. (University of Kentucky Libraries). WorldCat record id: 15645078

Biographical Note

Henry Clay

• 1777, Apr. 12: Born, Hanover County, Va.
• 1791: Appointed clerk, Richard Denny's retail store, Richmond, Va.
• 1792: Appointed clerk, Office of the Clerk, High Court of Chancery,Richmond, Va.
• 1796: Studied law under Robert Brooke
• 1797: Virginia Virginia Admitted to the Virginia bar Lexington, Ky. Lexington Moved to Lexington, Ky.
• 1798: Admitted to the Kentucky bar
• 1799: Married Lucretia Hart (died 1864)
• 1803 - 1809 : Member, Kentucky legislature
• 1806 - 1807 : Member, U.S. Senate, filling unexpired seat of John Adair
• 1807 - 1809 : Speaker, Kentucky legislature
• 1809: Survived duel with Humphrey Marshall
• 1809 - 1811 : Member, U.S. Senate, filling unexpired seat of Buckner Thruston
• 1811 - 1821 : Member, U.S. House of Representatives; speaker, 1811-1820
• 1814: Appointed commissioner, Ghent Peace Commission,Ghent, Belgium
• 1816: Appointed presiding officer, founding meeting of the American Colonization Society
• 1820 - 1825 : Counsel, Bank of the United States
• 1821: Resigned from U.S. House of Representatives
• 1822: Nominated for president by Kentucky legislature
• 1822 - 1823 : Kentucky Kentucky Virginia Virginia Commissioner, land claim dispute between Kentucky and Virginia
• 1823 - 1825 : Member and speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
• 1824: Announced as Whig candidate for president
• 1825 - 1829 : Secretary of state
• 1826: Survived duel with John Randolph
• 1827: Published Address to the Public
• 1830: Nominated for president by Kentucky legislature
• 1831: Nominated as Whig candidate for president
• 1831 - 1842 : Member, U.S. Senate
• 1836: Elected president, American Colonization Society
• 1838: Nominated for president by Kentucky legislature
• 1844: Nominated as Whig candidate for president
• 1848: Announced as Whig candidate for president
• 1849 - 1851 : Member, U.S. Senate
• 1852, June 29: Died, Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Henry Clay Family Papers, 1732-1927, (bulk 1814-1852), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

Biography

Henry Clay (1777 - 1852), American statesman, was born in Hanover County, Virginia. Representing his adopted state, Kentucky, he was a member of Congress off and on for almost fifty years, three times an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency, and from 1825 - 29 Secretary of State.

From the guide to the Henry Clay Papers, 1825-1829, (The Huntington Library)

Biographical note: Henry Clay, a native of Hanover, Virginia, came to Lexington, Kentucky in 1797 and engaged in the practice of law. He was particularly active in land dispute litigation and as a criminal defense lawyer. Active politically in Kentucky, Clay was a state legislator (1803-1806, 1807-1810), a United States senator (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, 1849-1852), a member of the United States House of Representatives (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1824). He also served as Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams. A nationally known political figure, Clay is perhaps best known for his efforts to avoid dissolution of the Union over the issue of slavery which resulted in the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850.

Clay also played an important role in the growth of Transylvania University in Lexington. Appointed to its faculty as a professor of law in 1805, he taught two years before resigning his position upon his election to the United States Senate. Clay served as a member of Transylvania's Board of Trustees at various times during the next two decades, was actively involved in the selection of faculty and presidents, and frequently acted as a general spokesman for the institution in the East.

On the death of Lexington businessman and Transylvania University trustee James Morrison in 1823, Clay acted as executor of his estate, which left $20,000 to the university and also endowed a sizable trust fund. As a result, Clay was involved in numerous suits made by claimants against the Morrison estate over the next six years.

From the description of Papers, 1793-1852 (bulk 1815-1848). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 191917661

Statesman, Speaker of the House, Secretary of State, founder of the Whig party, and a five-time presidential candidate.

Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia. His family, which grew to include sixteen children, would move to Versailles, Kentucky to run a tavern, leaving the young Clay in the care of a boy"s club. When he was sixteen, he was hired as a secretary by the lawyer George Wythe, who went on to teach him law at the College of William and Mary. Clay was admitted to the bar in 1797 and began practicing in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1799, he married Lucretia Hart, starting a family of six daughters and five sons.

From the description of Henry Clay letters, 1825-1851. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 531743587