Henry Clay, James C. Klotter
Henry Clay, James C. Klotter
1 Rating(s)
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Henry Clay
The Man Who Would Be President

Author: James C. Klotter

Narrator: James Anderson Foster

Unabridged: 19 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/21/2018


Synopsis

Charismatic, charming, and one of the best orators of his era, Henry Clay seemed to have it all. He offered a comprehensive plan of change for America, and he directed national affairs as Speaker of the House, as Secretary of State to John Quincy Adams—the man he put in office—and as acknowledged leader of the Whig party. As the broker of the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay fought to keep a young nation united when westward expansion and slavery threatened to tear it apart. Yet, despite his talent and achievements, Henry Clay never became president. Three times he received Electoral College votes, twice more he sought his party's nomination, yet each time he was defeated. Alongside fellow senatorial greats Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, Clay was in the mix almost every moment from 1824 to 1848. Given his prominence, perhaps the years should be termed not the Jacksonian Era but rather the Age of Clay.

James C. Klotter uses new research and offers a more focused, nuanced explanation of Clay's programs and politics in order to answer the question of why the man they called "The Great Rejected" never won the presidency but did win the accolades of history.

About James C. Klotter

James C. Klotter is Professor of History at Georgetown College and State Historian of Kentucky. The prize-winning author, coauthor, or editor of some eighteen books, he was the executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society for many years.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on May 21, 2019

This is a political biography, and masterful at that. Biographical facts are really only 10% of this survey of the man who ran for President FIVE times. Yet, his real legacy is his contribution to several key issues before Congress between the Revolution and the Civil War. As noted by Klotter, this......more

Goodreads review by James on September 18, 2018

This presents a very well-known figure in an entirely different light. It is not exactly a cradle to grave biography, though there are heaps of that kind of info, but more of a political biography, on a case-by-case basis of one of the best known American politicians to run for president and never s......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on December 29, 2018

A personal hero, although also a flawed man. I admire his uncompromising desire to put the Union first, even though it cost him politically from all sides.......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on October 28, 2024

The Man Who Wouldn't Be King. Klotter's 2018 bio of Congressman/Senator/Perennial Presidential Candidate is fascinating without being revealing. Throughout the course of Clay's life and Klotter's biography, the reader *almost* gets a sense of what drives Clay, again and again (5x total), to seek the......more