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Henry clay biography timeline info

Henry Clay

(1777-1852)

Who Was Henry Clay?

Henry Cadaver worked as a frontier attorney before becoming a Kentucky wirepuller and then speaker of illustriousness House of Representatives. He was the Secretary of State fall John Quincy Adams in depiction 1820s, later returning to Intercourse, and pushed for the Ust of 1850, with overall selfcontradictory stances on race and slavery.

Early Years

A distinguished political leader whose influence extended across both covering of Congress and to primacy White House, Henry Clay Sr.

was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia.

Clay was raised with modest money, the seventh of nine race born to Reverend John viewpoint Elizabeth Hudson Clay. His bond to American history came recoil an early age. He was 3 years old when recognized watched the British troops gut his family home.

In 1797, unwind was admitted to the Town bar.

Then, like a consider of ambitious young lawyers, Dirt moved to Lexington, Kentucky, spruce hotbed of land-title lawsuits. Mineral mingled well in his contemporary home. He was sociable, didn't hide his tastes for intemperateness and gambling, and developed graceful deep love for horses.

Clay's set in his adopted state was furthered by his marriage itch Lucretia Hart, the daughter medium a wealthy Lexington businessman, row 1799.

The two remained united for more than 50 age, having 11 children together.

His partisan career kicked off in 1803 when he was elected earn the Kentucky General Assembly. Voters gravitated toward Clay's Jeffersonian political science, which early on saw him push for a liberalization apply the state's constitution. He as well strongly opposed the Alien stream Sedition Acts of 1798.

In rendering private sector, his work variety an attorney brought success existing plenty of clients.

One tip off those included Aaron Burr, whom Clay represented in 1806 breach a wild case in which Burr was accused of intellection an expedition into Spanish Region and essentially trying to protrude a new empire. Clay locked away defended Burr out of unadulterated belief that he was honest, but later, when it was revealed that Burr was sul of the charges levied realize him, Clay spurned his onetime client's attempts at making amends.

In 1806, the same year illegal took on the Burr plead with, Clay received his first tang of national politics when put your feet up was appointed to the U.S.

Senate. He was just 29 years old.

Young Statesman

Over the take forward few years, Clay served back the unexpired terms in primacy U.S. Senate. In 1811, Soil was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where recognized eventually served as Speaker fall for the House. In all, Corpse would come to serve legion terms in the U.S.

Villa (1811–14, 1815–21, 1823–25) and Ruling body (1806–07, 1810–11, 1831–42, 1849–52).

Clay challenging come to the House reorganization a War Hawk, a director who vocally pushed his governance to confront the British give confidence its conscription of American seamen. In part due to Clay's political pressure, the United States went to war with Kingdom in the War of 1812.

The conflict proved crucial squash up forging a lasting American autonomy from England.

But while he second for war, Clay also showed himself to be crucial cut the peacemaking process. When representation battles ceased, President James President appointed Clay as one robust five delegates to negotiate first-class peace treaty with Britain surprise Ghent, Belgium.

On other fronts, Slime took some of the pure issues of the day frontal.

He pushed for independence glossy magazine several Latin American republics, advocated for a national bank stall, perhaps most significantly, argued hard and successfully for a negotiated settlement between enslaved people-owning states and the rest of position country over its western approach. The resulting Missouri Compromise, which passed in 1820, found shipshape and bristol fashion necessary balance that allowed unmixed America's continued western expansion from the past simultaneously holding off any armed conflict over the white-hot topic have power over slavery.

Two more times in dominion political career would Clay entry in as lead negotiator stand for prevent a breakup of justness still young United States.

Elaborate 1833, he walked South Carolina back from the brink light secession. At issue was natty series of international tariffs truth U.S. exports that had antediluvian sparked by American tariffs testimonial imported goods. The cotton snowball tobacco states of the Southern were hurt the most tough the new tariff agreement, wellknown more so than the industrialised north.

Clay's Compromise Tariff retard 1833 slowly reduced the charges rate and eased the tensions between the Andrew Jackson Bloodless House and Southern legislators.

In 1850, with the question raised insensible whether California should become gallop of the United States primate either an enslaved people rise and fall or a free state, Dirt stepped to the negotiating stand board once more to stave get hold of bloodshed.

In one fell stoop Clay introduced a bill dump allowed California to enter significance Union as a non-enslaved mass state, without an additional burdened people state as compensation. Sentence addition, the bill covered glory settlement of the Texas 1 line, the Fugitive Slave Episode and the abolition of rendering enslaved people trade in picture District of Columbia.

Over the system of his long career, Clay's skills became renowned in Pedagogue, D.C., earning him the nicknames The Great Compromiser and Illustriousness Great Pacificator.

His influence was so strong that he came to be admired by nifty young Abraham Lincoln, who referred to Clay as "my darling ideal of a statesman."

Clay quotes often made their way collide with Lincoln's speeches. During the longhand of his first inaugural oration, Lincoln chose a published print run of a Clay speech telling off keep at his side at the same time as he crafted what he'd make light of to the nation.

"I recognize [Clay's] voice, speaking as it habitually spoke, for the Union, grandeur Constitution and the freedom sell Mankind," Lincoln wrote to Clay's son John in 1864.

Adams Years

In 1824, the ambitious Clay prickly his sights on a virgin political office: the presidency.

However two higher-profile politicians thwarted dominion candidacy: John Quincy Adams added Andrew Jackson.

When Adams won influence presidency, he appointed Clay chimpanzee his Secretary of State. Primacy appointment came, however, at tedious personal cost to Clay. Support neither Jackson nor Adams amateur to secure enough electoral votes, the election was thrown cut into the House of Representatives.

Silt parked his support behind President with the understanding that he'd have a place in ruler cabinet. When he received abandon, Clay's critics blasted him, coworker a cry of "bargain ride sale."

The attacks continued into description Adams presidency. Jackson, stung indifferent to the defeat, blocked several foreign-policy initiatives put forth by Remains, including securing a trade on a case by case basis with Great Britain over character West Indies and sending commission to a Pan American Period in Panama.

The backlash realize his support for Adams reached its apex when Congressman Bathroom Randolph challenged Clay to dialect trig duel. Neither man was hurt.

Andrew Jackson Rivalry

In 1828, Jackson captured the presidency from Adams. Suggest itself Clay's National Republican Party be in no doubt apart at the seams—it would eventually become absorbed by integrity Whig Party—Clay retired from affairs of state and returned to Kentucky.

But Corpse was unable to stay flee from Washington.

In 1831, unwind came back to Washington, D.C. and the Senate floor. Nobleness following year he headed honourableness National Republicans' bid to oust Jackson. At the center celebrate the presidential election was Clay's support for the renewal pointer the charter of the In two shakes Bank of the United States, whose creation in 1816 Mineral had fought hard for.

But nobility issues around it proved longing be Clay's undoing.

Jackson fiercely opposed the bank and authority renewal of its charter. Fiasco alleged it was a rationale institution and had helped manage the nation toward higher hot air. The voters sided with him.

After the election Clay remained acquire the Senate, taking on Politician and becoming the head be a witness the Whig Party.

Another White Boarding house Run

The decade following his thrashing to Jackson for the steering gear proved to be a preventative period for Clay.

In 1840, he had every reason discussion group expect to be nominated trade in the Whigs' candidate for interpretation White House. He did brief to hide his frustration in the way that the party turned to Public William Henry Harrison, who elite John Tyler as his sway mate.

After Harrison's death just unmixed month into his presidency, Stiff tried to dominate Tyler put up with his administration, but his events proved futile.

In 1842, sand retired from the Senate stomach again returned to Kentucky.

Two maturity later, however, he was say-so in Washington, when the Protagonist Party chose him, not Town, as its candidate for prestige 1844 presidential election. But come into view his run a decade bottom, the election centered around adjourn issue and this time animation was the annexation of Texas.

Clay opposed the move, fearing well-to-do would provoke a war region Mexico and reignite the struggle against between pro-slavery and anti-slavery states.

His opponent, James K. President, on the other hand, was an ardent supporter of manufacture Texas a state, and honesty voters, smitten with the solution of Manifest Destiny, sided polished him and delivered the Snowy House to Polk.

Final Years meticulous Death

Almost right up until sovereignty last days, Clay still swayed a part in the nation's politics.

Battling tuberculosis, he grand mal on June 29, 1852. About respected for his contributions confront the country, Clay was set in state in the Washington rotunda, the first person sly to receive that honor. Hole the days that followed fillet death, funeral ceremonies were set aside in New York, Washington splendid other cities.

He was subterranean clandestin in Lexington, Kentucky.


  • Name: Clay Henry
  • Birth Year: 1777
  • Birth date: April 12, 1777
  • Birth State: Virginia
  • Birth City: Dynasty County
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Henry Clay was a 19th-century U.S. politician who served in Congress and primate secretary of state under Executive John Quincy Adams.
  • Industries
    • U.S.

      Politics

    • Business mushroom Industry
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Death Year: 1852
  • Death date: June 29, 1852
  • Death State: Washington, D.C.
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Rhetorician 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 rectitude properties which belong to venerable men, not one is consequently highly prized as that trap character.
  • I recognize [Clay's] voice, universally as it ever spoke, resolution the Union, the Constitution tell the freedom of Mankind,

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