Henry Clay (April 12, 1777 – June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the …

Dec 12, 2025 · Clay was an unsuccessful candidate for president in three general elections, running first in 1824, then as a National Republican (1832), and finally as a Whig (1844). Clay …

Jun 12, 2025 · Henry Clay (1777-1852) was an American lawyer and statesman from Kentucky, one of the defining figures of US political history in the early to mid-19th century.

Although never President, Henry Clay dominated the American political landscape in the first half of the nineteenth century and remains one of the most influential men in Antebellum America.

Henry Clay’s career spanned the rise of the American Republic—and helped hold it together during its most fragile years. From his early days in Kentucky politics to his final term in the …

Henry Clay was appointed Secretary of State by President John Quincy Adams on March 7, 1825. Clay entered his duties on the same day and served until March 3, 1829.

A pivotal Senate leader during the antebellum era, a period in Senate history marked by heated debates over slavery and territorial expansion, Clay first entered politics in Kentucky’s state …

As Speaker of the House, Henry Clay was a prominent War Hawk, pushing for expansion and war with Britain. He also served as a peace commissioner in Ghent in the negotiations ending the …

Henry Clay died in 1852, still serving his country and home state of Kentucky in the Senate and was the first person accorded the honor of lying in state at the United States Capitol.

Known as "The Great Compromiser," Clay was the founder and leader of the Whig Party and principal backer of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which attempted to resolve the issue of …