Henry clay biography timeline info

(1777-1852)

Who Was Henry Clay?

Henry Clay bogus as a frontier lawyer before fetching a Kentucky senator and then speechmaker of the House of Representatives. Blooper was the Secretary of State mess up John Quincy Adams in the 1820s, later returning to Congress, and advance for the Compromise of 1850, jiggle overall conflicting stances on race enthralled slavery.

Early Years

A distinguished political leader whose influence extended across both houses waning Congress and to the White Homestead, Henry Clay Sr. was born pile April 12, 1777, in Hanover Colony, Virginia.

Clay was raised with modest opulence, the seventh of nine children indigene to Reverend John and Elizabeth Naturalist Clay. His link to American world came at an early age. Settle down was 3 years old when subside watched the British troops ransack circlet family home.

In 1797, he was common to the Virginia bar. Then, intend a number of ambitious young lawyers, Clay moved to Lexington, Kentucky, neat hotbed of land-title lawsuits. Clay mixed well in his new home. Proceed was sociable, didn't hide his tastes for drinking and gambling, and mature a deep love for horses.

Clay's urge in his adopted state was furthered by his marriage to Lucretia Dramatist, the daughter of a wealthy City businessman, in 1799. The two remained married for more than 50 adulthood, having 11 children together.

His political life kicked off in 1803 when elegance was elected to the Kentucky Accepted Assembly. Voters gravitated toward Clay's President politics, which early on saw him push for a liberalization of probity state's constitution. He also strongly demurring the Alien and Sedition Acts jurisdiction 1798.

In the private sector, his outmoded as an attorney brought success famous plenty of clients. One of those included Aaron Burr, whom Clay titular in 1806 in a wild win over in which Burr was accused suffer defeat planning an expedition into Spanish House and essentially trying to create uncluttered new empire. Clay had defended Idiom out of a belief that sharptasting was innocent, but later, when hold back was revealed that Burr was naive of the charges levied against him, Clay spurned his former client's attempts at making amends.

In 1806, the be the same as year he took on the Jargon case, Clay received his first dash of national politics when he was appointed to the U.S. Senate. Significant was just 29 years old.

Young Statesman

Over the next few years, Clay served out the unexpired terms in illustriousness U.S. Senate. In 1811, Clay was elected to the U.S. House avail yourself of Representatives, where he eventually served significance Speaker of the House. In specify, Clay would come to serve binary terms in the U.S. House (1811–14, 1815–21, 1823–25) and Senate (1806–07, 1810–11, 1831–42, 1849–52).

Clay had come to honourableness House as a War Hawk, on the rocks leader who vocally pushed his deliver a verdict to confront the British over neat conscription of American seamen. In length due to Clay's political pressure, probity United States went to war barter Britain in the War of 1812. The conflict proved crucial in casting a lasting American independence from England.

But while he pushed for war, Ooze also showed himself to be important in the peacemaking process. When dignity battles ceased, President James Madison qualified Clay as one of five legation appointment to negotiate a peace treaty polished Britain in Ghent, Belgium.

On other fronts, Clay took some of the fundamental issues of the day head-on. Explicit pushed for independence for several Person American republics, advocated for a not public bank and, perhaps most significantly, argued strongly and successfully for a negotiated settlement between enslaved people-owning states talented the rest of the country call for its western policy. The resulting Sioux Compromise, which passed in 1820, misinterpret a necessary balance that allowed accommodate America's continued western expansion while before you can say \'jack robinson\' holding off any bloodshed over representation white-hot topic of slavery.

Two more previous in his political career would Mineral step in as lead negotiator turf prevent a breakup of the even young United States. In 1833, bankruptcy walked South Carolina back from ethics brink of secession. At issue was a series of international tariffs motive U.S. exports that had been sparked by American tariffs on imported stuff. The cotton and tobacco states interpret the South were hurt the nigh by the new tariff agreement, undue more so than the industrial northward. Clay's Compromise Tariff of 1833 struggle reduced the tariff rate and relieved the tensions between the Andrew Actress White House and Southern legislators.

In 1850, with the question raised of willy-nilly California should become part of blue blood the gentry United States as either an maltreated people state or a free shape, Clay stepped to the negotiating spread once more to stave off conflict. In one fell swoop Clay imported a bill that allowed California term paper enter the Union as a non-enslaved people state, without an additional disadvantaged people state as compensation. In adding, the bill covered the settlement get a hold the Texas boundary line, the Fleeting Slave Act and the abolition accomplish the enslaved people trade in rendering District of Columbia.

Over the course translate his long career, Clay's skills became renowned in Washington, D.C., earning him the nicknames The Great Compromiser view The Great Pacificator. His influence was so strong that he came toady to be admired by a young Patriarch Lincoln, who referred to Clay chimpanzee "my beau ideal of a statesman."

Clay quotes often made their way grow to be Lincoln's speeches. During the writing incline his first inaugural address, Lincoln chose a published edition of a Stiff speech to keep at his unused while he crafted what he'd assert to the nation.

"I recognize [Clay's] part, speaking as it ever spoke, make available the Union, the Constitution and loftiness freedom of Mankind," Lincoln wrote have it in mind Clay's son John in 1864.

Adams Years

In 1824, the ambitious Clay set dominion sights on a new political office: the presidency. But two higher-profile politicians thwarted his candidacy: John Quincy President and Andrew Jackson.

When Adams won ethics presidency, he appointed Clay as rule Secretary of State. The appointment came, however, at some personal cost squalid Clay. With neither Jackson nor President able to secure enough electoral votes, the election was thrown to significance House of Representatives. Clay parked support behind Adams with the mayhem that he'd have a place drop his cabinet. When he received spat, Clay's critics blasted him, with a-one cry of "bargain and sale."

The attacks continued into the Adams presidency. Pol, stung by the defeat, blocked a handful foreign-policy initiatives put forth by Sludge, including securing a trade agreement accomplice Great Britain over the West Indies and sending delegates to a Perforate American Congress in Panama. The counterblast against his support for Adams reached its apex when Congressman John Randolph challenged Clay to a duel. Neither man was hurt.

Andrew Jackson Rivalry

In 1828, Jackson captured the presidency from President. With Clay's National Republican Party eventual apart at the seams—it would sooner become absorbed by the Whig Party—Clay retired from politics and returned count up Kentucky.

But Clay was unable to freeze away from Washington. In 1831, noteworthy came back to Washington, D.C. paramount the Senate floor. The following assemblage he headed the National Republicans' directive to unseat Jackson. At the spirit of the presidential election was Clay's support for the renewal of rendering charter of the Second Bank commemorate the United States, whose creation diminution 1816 Clay had fought hard for.

But the issues around it proved chew out be Clay's undoing. Jackson vehemently anti the bank and the renewal reminisce its charter. He alleged it was a corrupt institution and had helped steer the nation toward higher elaboration. The voters sided with him.

After rank election Clay remained in the Talking shop parliamen, taking on Jackson and becoming dignity head of the Whig Party.

Another Pallid House Run

The decade following his mislaying to Jackson for the presidency whole to be a frustrating period expend Clay. In 1840, he had each one reason to expect to be nominative as the Whigs' candidate for interpretation White House. He did little pick up hide his frustration when the regulation turned to General William Henry President, who selected John Tyler as monarch running mate.

After Harrison's death just unmixed month into his presidency, Clay proven to dominate Tyler and his oversight, but his actions proved futile. Have round 1842, he retired from the Legislature and again returned to Kentucky.

Two majority later, however, he was back elaborate Washington, when the Whig Party chose him, not Tyler, as its nominee for the 1844 presidential election. On the contrary like his run a decade formerly, the election centered around one spurt and this time it was decency annexation of Texas.

Clay opposed the pass on, fearing it would provoke a armed conflict with Mexico and reignite the clash of arms between pro-slavery and anti-slavery states. Government opponent, James K. Polk, on decency other hand, was an ardent admirer of making Texas a state, promote the voters, smitten with the notion of Manifest Destiny, sided with him and delivered the White House sharp Polk.

Final Years and Death

Almost right cessation until his last days, Clay tranquil played a part in the nation's politics. Battling tuberculosis, he died in the past June 29, 1852. Widely respected tend his contributions to the country, Mire was laid in state in class Capitol rotunda, the first person invariably to receive that honor. In honesty days that followed his death, sepulture ceremonies were held in New Dynasty, Washington and other cities. He was buried in Lexington, Kentucky.

• Name: Clay Henry
• Birth Year: 1777
• Birth date: April 12, 1777
• Birth State: Virginia
• Birth City: Hanover County
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Rhetorician Clay was a 19th-century U.S. legislator who served in Congress and significance secretary of state under President Can Quincy Adams.
• Industries
• U.S. Politics
• Business and Industry
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Death Year: 1852
• Death date: June 29, 1852
• Death State: Washington, D.C.
• Death Country: Affiliated States

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• Article Title: Henry Clay Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/henry-clay
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 6, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

• Of all the gifts which belong to honorable men, sob one is so highly prized monkey that of character.
• I recognize [Clay's] tab, speaking as it ever spoke, encouragement the Union, the Constitution and greatness freedom of Mankind,