History of Kentucky, William B Allen, 1872.

[page 236]

Henry Clay.

The life, letters, and speeches of Henry Clay have been published in
several volumes, and are in the hands of many. Scarcely any man ever
attained higher distinction than he, not only as a civilian, but as a
statesman, orator, diplomatist, and patriot. His fame was wide-spread and
unbounded; not a civilized nation on earth, perhaps, to whom his fame was
unknown. An honester man, or one more devoted to the best interest of his
country, perhaps never lived. Born with no other heritage than poverty, he
attained that distinction to which he arrived by the force of his own
talents alone; his native genius, assisted by the ardor of his exertions,
effected it; and the malice of his enemies could never tear it from hin,
nor even blot the page of that history which records it.

[page 237]
Mr Clay had only received a common school education when he entered the
office of the clerk of the court of Chancery at Richmond as a copyist. He
commenced the study of the law at nineteen years of age, and shortly
afterward removed to Lexington, Kentucky.
Mr Clay was born in Hanover County, Virginia, on the 12th of April, 1777.
He was admitted to the bar at Lexington in 1799, and very soon obtained an
extensive practive. He began his political career by taking an active part
in the election of delegates to frame a new Constitution for Kentucky in
1799. He was elected a Representative of Fayette County to the Legislature
of Kentucky for the first time in 1803, and in 1806 was appointed the
successor of General John Adair, who had resigned, to the Senate of the
United States for the remainder of the term. In 1807 he was again elected
to the Legislature of Kentucky, and was chosen Speaker of that body, and
was five times re-elected in that body to the same office.  He was an
advocate of the war with Great Britain; and the national spirit was greatly
aroused and awakened to resist her aggressions by his eloquence. In 1814 he
was appointed one of the Commissioners to negotiate a treaty of peace at
Ghent. After his return from this mission he was again elected to Congress,
and in 1818 delivered his famous speech on the subject of recognizing the
independence of the South American Republics. It was this year also that he
advocated with such power the national system of internal improvements. A
monument of stone, inscribed with his name, was erected on the National
Road to commemorate his services in behalf of that improvement.
In 1819-20 he exerted himself for the establishment of protection of
American industry. He also rendered essential services in the adjustment of
the Missouri Compromise question. These questions being settled, he retired
from Congress to at-

[page 238]
tend to his private affairs. In 1823 he was again elected to Congress, and
re-elected Speaker. It was during this session he exerted himself in
support of the independence of Greece. He was Secretary of State under the
Presidency of John Quincy Adams. The attack made by John Randolph on Mr
Clay during this administration led to the duel between these distinguished
men, which terminiated, however, without bloodshed.
In 1831 Mr Clay was again elected to the United States Senate, where he
commenced his labors in favor of the tariff. Soon after his reappearance in
the Senate he was unaniomously nominated for President of the United
States, but was defeated by the re-election of General Jackson. In 1836 he
was again elected to the United States Senate, where he remained until
1842, when he resigned, and took his final leave of that body as he supposed.
In 1839 he was before the Convention again for the nomination for the
Presidency, when General Harrison was selected as the candidate, who was
elected over Van Buren by an over-whelming majority. In 1844 he again
received the nomination for President, but was defeated by the election of
James K Polk.
After this he remained in retirement until 1849, when he was again elected
to the Senate of the United States, where he devoted all his energies to
the measures known as the Compromise Acts. His efforts during this session
greatly impaired his strength and health, and he went to New Orleans and
Havana, but received no permanent improvement in this respect, and returned
to Congress. Being unable to participate in the active duties of the
Senate, he resigned his seat, to take effect upon the 6th of September, 1852.
Mr Clay was greatly interested in the success of the Colonization Society,
and was for a long time one of its most efficient officers, and also its
President. He died at Washington City, June 29th, 1852, at a little over
seventy-five years of age, honored and respected not only by his own
country, but by the civilized nations of the earth.
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