Biography of Henry Clay
1777 |
Born in Hanover County, Virginia, on April 12 (Aries) |
|---|---|
1785-1790 |
Attended Old Field School |
1792-1796 |
Read law with George Wythe |
1797 |
Licensed attorney-at-law in Virginia |
1797 |
Migrated to Lexington, Kentucky, in November |
1799 |
Married Lucretia Hart |
1800 |
Daughter Henrietta born June 25 and dies in 1801 |
1802 |
Son Theodore Wythe born |
1803 |
Elected to the General Assembly from Fayette County |
1803 |
Son Thomas Hart born September 22 |
1805 |
Daughter Susan Hart born |
1806 |
Purchased property on Richmond Pike for Ashland Estate |
1806 |
Elected to U.S. Senate |
1807 |
Daughter Anne Brown born |
1807 |
Reelected to General Assembly |
1809 |
Fights a duel with Humphrey Marshall |
1809 |
Daughter Lucretia Hart born |
1810 |
Elected to U.S. Senate |
1810 |
Elected to U.S. House of Representatives |
1811 |
Builds Ashland mansion |
1811 |
Son Henry Jr. born |
1811 |
Elected Speaker of House of Representatives, Nov. 4 |
1813 |
Daughter Eliza born |
1814 |
Appointed Peace Commissioner to negotiate with Great Britain |
1816 |
Daughter Laura born and dies three months later |
1816 |
Participates in the formation of American Colonization Society |
1817 |
Son James Brown born |
1821 |
Guides Missouri Compromise through Congress (Great Compromiser) and retires from Congress |
1821 |
Son John Morrison is born |
1822 |
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives |
1822 |
Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dec. 1 |
1824 |
Outlines the American System |
1824 |
Defeated for President of the United States |
1825-1829 |
Secretary of State |
1826 |
Good neighbor policy with Latin America |
1826 |
Duel with John Randolph |
1829 |
Stepfather, mother, and brother died within 2-week period |
1831 |
Elected to the U.S. Senate |
1832 |
Defeated for President of the United States |
1842 |
Resigned from Senate, Feb. 16 |
1843 |
Borrowed $40,000 from John Jacob Astor (second time to borrow) |
1844 |
Defeated for President of the United States |
1847 |
Henry Jr. killed at the Battle of Buena Vista |
1847 |
Joins Episcopal Church |
1848 |
Denied Presidential nomination |
1849 |
Elected to the U.S. Senate |
1850 |
Assists Compromise of 1850 |
1851 |
Resigns from Senate, Dec. 17 |
1852 |
Dies in Washington, D.C., on June 29 and buried in Lexington Cemetary July 10 |