Henry Clay

Henry Clay married Lucretia Hart on April 11 1799, within two years of starting his legal career. The marriage helped him gain social status as well as economic security. It is said, that although Lucretia was rather plain she had a strong personality and had positive influence on Clay.

The couple had eleven children; five sons and six daughters. Clay was very fond of his daughters; but to his extreme grief, all of them died at a young age. His seventh child Henry Clay Jr. also died at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War while Clay Sr. was still alive.

Clay died on June 29, 1852 at the age of 75. He was suffering from tuberculosis, which ultimately killed him. He was survived by his wife Lucretia and four sons Theodore, Thomas, James Brown and John Morrison. In his will, he freed all his slaves.

Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777 to Reverend John and Elizabeth Clay in a plantation in Hanovar County in Virginia. Henry was the seventh of the couple’s nine children. He lost his father in 1781, when he was barely four years old. While Sir John left most of his properties to his wife, Henry received two slaves as his share.

Some time later, her mother Elizabeth married Captain Henry Watkins, who moved the family to Richmond. She bore seven more children with him. Watkins took good care of all his children and was affectionate to Henry.

As he grew up, Henry first secured a position in the office of the Virginia Court of Chancery. Later he became the secretary to the Chancellor, George Wythe. Wythe was also a noted scholar and a professor of law. While working under him Henry began to study law. Noticing his aptitude for the subject, Wythe secured him a position with Robert Brook, the Attorney General of Virginia. Finally, in 1797, Clay was admitted to the bar and allowed to practice law both in Virginia and Kentucky.

In November 1797, Clay moved to Lexington, which was at that time a growing town in the state of Kentucky. Quickly, he earned a name for his legal skills. However, many of his clients offered land, animals and slaves in lieu of money. Henry accepted them gladly and very soon acquired a plot of land and a hotel in Lexington.

Clay entered politics early in life. In 1803, he became the representative of Fayette County in the Kentucky General Assembly. At that time he was only 26 years old and not legally eligible to stand for election. However, the fact was somehow overlooked.

From 1804 onwards, Henry started buying plantation land and called it Ashland. In 1806, he and his family shifted to the new estate and began to grow tobacco and hemp. Ashland became his home till his death.

In 1806, while Clay was still legally underage, he was sent to the Senate by Kentucky legislative assembly to fill up the seat vacated by John Breckinridge. He was sworn in on December 29, 1806. However, the term ended within three months and he went back to Kentucky in the beginning of 1807.

On coming back, Clay was elected as the Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. During that time, suits for the aristocrats were made from broadcloth made in Britain. On January 3, 1809, he introduced a resolution that required the members to come in homespun suits. The intention was to boycott British goods. Only two members voted against the resolution.

”The Missouri Compromise of 1820’, the ‘Compromise Tariff of 1833’, and the ‘Compromise of 1850’ are three most important works in the life of Henry Clay. While the first and the last were aimed at maintaining the integrity of the nation the ‘Tariff of 1833’ tried to secure its economic development. Clay’s fame as a compromiser and pacificator also stemmed from these bills.