Henry Clay
America’s Greatest Statesman

This rating is largely dependent on what you’re looking for going into this book. I’ll echo many of the reviews and say that if you have limited knowledge of Henry Clay and are looking to gain a basic understanding of his impact to determine if you’d like to study him further, this is a great place......more

I have long wanted to read a biography of Henry Clay ever since I saw his portrait in my book of photographs by Matthew Brady. After reading a biography of Andrew Jackson and his acrimonious relationship with Clay, I was determined that the next biography I read would be of Henry Clay. Clay never won......more

I do not recommend this biography of Henry Clay if you are looking for depth and analysis about Clay and his times; read Robert Remini's gold standard biography of Henry Clay for that. However, Unger's biography is a nice outline of Clay's life that spots the issues of his times. Henry Clay did hav......more

Henry Clay is a relatively forgotten figure today, because he never became president, but in his day, he was a national figure with an enormous impact on American politics. I've come to quite appreciate Harlow Giles Unger's short biographies; he's written quite a few books about the B-listers of Ame......more

Concise, accessible, and moderately brief biography of “The Great Pacficator,” Henry Clay Sr. (1777-1852), one of the most important politicians and statesmen in the United States in the first half of the 19th century. Born in Virginia, he began first his legal career and not long after his politica......more