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BOX I:1-27 REEL I:1-6 |
Part I: General Correspondence, 1770-1910
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Letters received and copies of letters sent, family papers, financial records,
letters of condolence, memoranda, notes, petitions, secretary of state reports to
Congress, and speeches. |
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Organized into Henry Clay correspondence and Clay family correspondence and
arranged chronologically therein. A card index to the Henry Clay correspondence is
available in the Manuscript Division Reading Room and on microfilm. Abstracts of
the correspondence are provided below. |
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Available on microfilm. Shelf nos. 13,789 and 13,789.1 |
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BOX I:1 REEL 1 |
Clay, Henry |
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30 Nov. 1770-4 Feb. 1814
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This volume includes material on Henry Clay's ancestors; his license to
practice law in Virginia, dated 6 November 1797; business correspondence
related to land speculation and debt collection, principally with
out-of-state clients, notably from Baltimore; the first letter with Clay's
most intimate and long-term correspondent, Francis Brooke, a boyhood friend;
a letter from Felix Grundy on the Kentucky Insurance Company issue, dated 4
February 1805; a letter from Attorney General John Breckenridge on relations
with Great Britain, dated 22 March 1806; correspondence on the Aaron Burr
litigation in November and December 1806; the challenges, formal rules, and
an eyewitness account of the Clay-Marshall duel in January 1809; and letters
concerning the War of 1812 from Thomas Hart Benton, William Henry Harrison,
and James Monroe. |
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BOX I:2 REEL 1 |
5 Feb. 1814-24 Nov. 1818
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This volume includes correspondence with fellow commissioners James Asheton
Bayard, Albert Gallatin, and Jonathan Russell during the Treaty of Ghent
negotiations; extensive correspondence with William H. Crawford on the
diplomatic issues at stake; an American position statement, dated 14
December 1814; Secretary of State James Monroe's offer to Clay to assume a
diplomatic mission to Russia, dated 30 October 1815; President James
Madison's offer to Clay to take over the War Department, dated 30 August
1816, and Clay's letter of refusal, dated 14 September 1816; the first
letter to be received by Clay from Marquis de Lafayette, dated 26 October
1815, in which he comments on political conditions in France. Lafayette's
correspondence would grow in volume and is noteworthy for its perspectives
on European politics, international relations generally, and South American
independence movements in particular. |
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BOX I:3 REEL 1 |
30 Nov. 1818-17 Dec. 1822
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This volume includes correspondence with Langdon Cheves concerning Clay's
professional relationship with the Bank of the United States, correspondence
that would subsequently be taken up by Nicholas Biddle; the correspondence
and official records of the land claims negotiations between Kentucky and
Virginia in which Clay acted as commissioner for Kentucky; extensive
correspondence on presidential politics, beginning with a letter from Henry
R. Warfield, dated 13 December 1821; a letter from Jonathan Russell relating
his efforts to undermine John Quincy Adams's presidential campaign, dated 9
July 1822; a letter from Amos Kendall describing his clandestine efforts,
dated 20 June 1822; and a letter from Andrew Hughes suggesting that Andrew
Jackson might run for president, dated 31 July 1822. |
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BOX I:4 REEL 1 |
19 Dec. 1822-14 Oct. 1824
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This volume is dominated by presidential politics. Secondary subjects
include Clay's continuing professional relationship with the Bank of the
United States and a disagreement with Congressman Ichabod Bartlett of New
Hampshire, which ended amicably in January 1824. |
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BOX I:5 REEL 1 |
15 Oct. 1824-12 Oct. 1825
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Correspondence reflecting uncertainty over the final electoral vote count
includes the letter from Clay to Francis Preston Blair, dated 8 January
1825, that would provide the basis for the revival of the charge of "bargain
and intrigue" during the presidential campaign of 1828 (see abstracts to
vols. 11 and 12). A letter from Clay to Blair dated 29 January 1825 responds
to George Kremer's anonymously-published calumny. The volume also includes
Nicholas Biddle's reply to Clay's resignation from the Bank of the United
States, dated 11 March 1825; correspondence in response to Clay's address to
his constituents concerning Kremer's allegations; and the initial
correspondence between James Brown as minister to France and Clay as
secretary of state. The latter correspondence was particularly frank, for
the two men were longtime friends, and related by marriage to the Hart
family of Kentucky. |
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BOX I:6 REEL 2 |
13 Oct. 1825-10 Apr. 1826
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This volume includes a letter from William Carroll concerning Andrew
Jackson's resignation from Congress, dated 25 November 1825; correspondence
on the procrastination of Congress over sending delegates to the Congress of
Panama; a letter from Robert Wickliffe, Clay's principal source of
information on Kentucky politics, concerning the political gains of the
Jackson faction in Kentucky, dated 7 March 1826; and documentation from late
March through early April 1826 relating to the Clay-Randolph duel. |
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BOX I:7 REEL 2 |
12 Apr.-18 Nov. 1826
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This volume begins with correspondence on the Clay-Randolph duel.
Correspondence from ministers Christopher Hughes and James Brown
predominates. In a letter dated 9 May 1826, W. B. Rochester comments on the
presidential aspirations of DeWitt Clinton. However, the main focus of
Clay's political correspondents, who report on political movements within
their states, is the popularity of the Jackson faction. This preoccupation
also takes up a substantial portion of the following six volumes. Volume 7
also includes correspondence with Daniel Webster, which was substantial,
supportive, and confidential during the Adams administration and the first
Jackson administration, and material on internal improvements and the St.
Lawrence River. |
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BOX I:8 REEL 2 |
20 Nov. 1826-21 Apr. 1827
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This volume consists principally of correspondence on presidential politics.
The correspondents pay close attention to the Jackson faction, with comments
on DeWitt Clinton and Martin Van Buren as well. Clay's informants continue
to report on politics within their particular states. The concern over the
pivotal states New York and Pennsylvania is reflected in correspondence with
politicians from these states. Throughout these volumes the following
correspondents regularly report to Clay concerning political conditions in
their states: Adam Beatty, Kentucky; Francis Brooke, Virginia; William
Carroll, Tennessee; James Erwin, Louisiana; Charles Hammond, Ohio; Edward
Ingersoll, Pennsylvania; Francis Johnson, Kentucky; Joseph Kent, Maryland;
John L. Lawrence, New York; P. S. Markley, Pennsylvania; Thomas Metcalfe,
Kentucky; Hugh Mercer, Virginia; Hezekiah Niles, Maryland; John Hampden
Pleasants, Virginia; Peter Buell Porter, New York; William Beatty Rochester,
New York; John Sergeant, Pennsylvania; Henry Shaw, Massachusetts; Jonathan
Sloane, Massachusetts; Thomas B. Stevenson, Ohio; Joseph M. Street,
Missouri; Charles Stewart Todd, Kentucky; Henry R. Warfield, Maryland;
Daniel Webster, Massachusetts; Robert Wickliffe, Kentucky; and Elisha
Whittlesey, Ohio. |
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BOX I:9 REEL 2 |
22 Apr.-2 Aug. 1827
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This volume begins with a letter dated 27 April 1827 related to the
acquisition of a cipher to the coded correspondence between Jackson, Burr,
and Blennerhassett (letters related to this attempt to discredit Jackson are
dated 7 April 1827 and 13 August 1828). Much of the volume comprises replies
to Tobias Watkins's circular asking for statements to dispute Carter
Beverly's allegation that Clayites had bargained with the Jackson camp in
the previous election. These replies provide the documentation for Clay's
Address to the Public, a refutation of the charges against him, published in
December 1827. This volume also includes correspondence responding to Clay's
July denial to Jackson's June statement that, in the previous election, an
individual representing Clay had made overtures to the Jackson camp. |
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BOX I:10 REEL 2 |
3 Aug.-21 Oct. 1827
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This volume begins with correspondence responding to Clay's repeated denial
that he had dealt with the Jackson camp in the previous election, a denial
Clay reiterated in a published speech given in Lexington in August in which
he called upon Jackson to name the supposed go-between. Correspondence in
August and September relates to James Buchanan's statements that he had not
acted in such a capacity. |
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BOX I:11 REEL 3 |
22 Oct. 1827-14 Jan. 1828
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This volume includes more correspondence concerning the Beverly-
Jackson-Buchanan matter; correspondence on Congressional elections as
harbingers of presidential politics; two Francis Preston Blair letters,
dated 14 November and 31 December 1827, written prior to his testimony
before the Kentucky senate committee investigating the charges against Clay;
a published version of Clay's Address to the Public; and correspondence
responding to the Address and to the Harrisburg Convention. |
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BOX I:12 REEL 3 |
15 Jan.-30 Apr. 1828
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Correspondence in this volume concerns Francis Preston Blair, his appearance
before the Kentucky senate investigating committee, and the question of
publishing the supposedly incriminating letter Clay wrote to Blair, dated 8
January 1825. |
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BOX I:13 REEL 3 |
2 May-22 Nov. 1828
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This volume is dominated by presidential politics. |
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BOX I:14 REEL 3 |
24 Nov. 1828-14 Mar. 1829
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This volume includes correspondence commenting on the outcome of the
election and expressing considerable apprehension concerning the Jackson
administration and ends with invitations to Clay to attend public
demonstrations in his behalf following his departure from Washington,
D.C. |
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BOX I:15 REEL 3 |
16 Mar.-11 Nov. 1829
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This volume includes correspondence critical of the Jackson administration.
A letter from Sidney Breese, dated 30 July 1829, is the first to question
Clay on the prospect of running in 1832. |
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BOX I:16 REEL 4 |
13 Nov. 1829-29 Oct. 1830
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Correspondence in this volume speculates on the likely candidates for 1832,
including the possibility that Martin Van Buren would receive the Democratic
nomination. W. H. Crawford's letter, dated 31 March 1830, is representative
of this speculation over candidates. The volume also includes correspondence
critical of the Jackson administration. Daniel Webster's letter, dated 29
May 1830, is representative. There is a letter from Richard Rush on the
anti-Masonry issue in New York, dated 25 September 1830, and a letter from
James Madison on the "nullifying doctrine," dated 9 October 1830. |
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BOX I:17 REEL 4 |
30 Oct. 1830-25 Oct. 1831
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This volume includes a letter, dated 3 November 1830, from Nicholas Biddle
to Clay in which the banker states that it would be "inexpedient" to raise
the recharter issue. Daniel Webster reports in a letter dated 4 March 1831
on the split between Calhoun and Jackson. In May, Richard Rush starts an
urgent correspondence to persuade Clay to go along with the anti-Masons.
Hugh Mercer reports on the resignation of the cabinet in a letter dated 9
May 1831. In a letter dated 31 August 1831, Clay is warned that the Jackson
faction in Kentucky will make a concerted effort to block his election to
the Senate. In a letter of 7 September 1831, John Quincy Adams disputes the
legitimacy of nullification, expounding his constitutional theory of
government. The correspondence in October concerns Clay's bid for a seat in
the Senate. |
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BOX I:18 REEL 4 |
26 Oct. 1831-20 Mar. 1832
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Correspondence congratulating Clay on his election to the Senate opens this
volume. Nicholas Biddle's letter of 22 December 1831 touches upon
rechartering the Bank of the United States. Patrick Henry urged Clay to
encourage the government to purchase Mount Vernon in a letter dated 18
February 1832. Beginning in March, there is more correspondence on the
recharter issue. |
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BOX I:19 REEL 4 |
22 Mar.-24 Aug. 1832
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A March 22 letter from James Madison argues for accommodation on the tariff
to avert a crisis over nullification. In May and June, Hiram Ketchum and
Richard Rush address Clay on anti-Masonry. Clay's letter to Hezekiah Niles,
dated 8 July 1829, comments on the tariff bill, the bank bill, and the
public land bill. Nicholas Biddle's letter, dated 1 August 1832, expresses
his reaction to Jackson's veto. |
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BOX I:20 REEL 5 |
26 Aug. 1832-7 Nov. 1834
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Correspondence on the presidential election continues through November with
correspondence on the outcome of the election in November and December. P.
B. Porter and W. B. Rochester kept Clay abreast of the anti-Masonry splinter
group in New York. A copy of a bill to modify the tariff is located at the
beginning of 1833. Dated 8 February 1833, a letter from Nicholas Biddle
indicates his intention to fight back against the kitchen cabinet. The
period from February through June 1833 contains increasing correspondence on
the nullification crisis. In a letter dated 20 February 1833, John M.
Clayton commented on the struggle in Congress; in a letter dated 19 March
1833, Peleg Sprague expressed the northern point of view; and in a letter
dated 2 April 1833, James Madison advised appeasement. The period from
January through March 1834 contains correspondence on the removal of the
deposits from the Bank of the United States, the purportedly arbitrary
removal of secretaries of the treasury, and the Senate's intention to
censure Andrew Jackson for these "unconstitutional" actions. Clay's letter
to Francis Brooke, dated 23 March 1834, expressed his fears for the
political future of the country. |
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BOX I:21 REEL 5 |
8 Nov. 1834-5 June 1838
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This volume includes correspondence on the French crisis during the winter
of 1835. In a letter dated 4 January 1835, Nicholas Biddle expressed the
view that the Bank of the United States played a role in collecting the
claims. In a letter dated 31 January 1835, James Madison cautioned against
rash action. The volume also includes material on the slavery issue. Lewis
Tappan attempted to win Clay over to the anti-slavery group, with letters
dated 24 March, 22 June, and 20 July 1835 and 1 May and 5 June 1838. John
Greenleaf Whittier wrote Clay on 5 June 1837; and in January and February
1838 there is correspondence responding to Clay's January 8 speech in
Congress modifying Calhoun's December resolutions. The question of the
choice of the Whig candidate arose in correspondence between July and August
1837. The volume also includes a letter from Henry Austin attempting to
enlist Clay's support for Texas, dated 13 April 1836; and two letters on the
issue of international copyright from Harriet Martineau, dated 15 May 1837,
and from Grenville A. Sackell, dated 25 January 1838. |
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BOX I:22 REEL 5 |
11 June 1838-13 Mar. 1841
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A letter from Nicholas Biddle commented on the Texas question, dated 7
September 1838, and a letter from Clay on the proper course of action for
Congress in relation to slavery in the District of Columbia, dated 25
February 1839. Letters and petitions advocate Clay's presidential candidacy.
During the election year, there is correspondence with William Henry
Harrison, dated 25 February, 21 June, 6 August, 2 November, and 15 November.
A letter dated 13 March 1841 and its reply dated 15 March document a rupture
in the relationship between the two men. Volume 22 also includes business
correspondence between Henry Clay and his son, Thomas Hart Clay, esecially
during the 1840s when their joint business ventures were failing. |
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BOX I:23 REEL 5 |
15 Mar. 1841-4 Oct. 1844
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This volume begins with Clay's March 15 reply to William Henry Harrison's
March 13 letter that rebuked Clay for "dictating" proposals. The period from
May to September 1841 contains correspondence on reestablishing a Bank of
the United States. A letter from Clay to Martin Van Buren written 26 March
1842, the day before Clay's farewell address to the Senate, extended an
invitation to the would-be Democratic candidate to visit Ashland.
Immediately thereafter, Clay received a letter, dated April 2, from Carter
Beverly that exonerated Clay from the allegations Beverly had made in 1827.
A letter dated 25 July 1842 from Clay to Jacob Gibson, provides insight into
Clay's basic views on slavery. Joseph Story responded to Clay's Lexington
speech, his first as a presidential candidate, in a letter dated 3 August
1842. Clay challenged James K. Polk to a debate over the issue of "bargain
and intrigue" in a letter dated 20 May 1843. This volume also includes
correspondence describing political trends within particular states and
correspondence attesting to Clay's innocence in regard to the old charge of
"bargain and intrigue." |
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BOX I:24 REEL 6 |
9 Oct. 1844-18 Apr. 1845
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Correspondence commenting on the electoral defeat includes allegations of
election fraud, particularly in New York. Beginning in November but
continuing through the winter and spring there are many letters of sympathy
concerning the electoral defeat and invitations to attend public
demonstrations of support. The period from January through May 1845 contains
correspondence on the fund-raising drive to relieve Clay of large debts. A
copy of a letter dated 28 February 1845 from Andrew Jackson to William B.
Lewis commented on James Buchanan's want of moral fiber in relation to the
role he played in the "bargain and intrigue" scandal. |
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BOX I:25 REEL 6 |
22 Apr. 1845-19 July 1848
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This volume contains correspondence with Horace Greeley on presidential
politics, with letters dated 15 November 1846, 30 November 1847, and 28
April, 29 May, and 21 June 1848. Correspondence with candidate Zachary
Taylor is dated 4 November and 28 December 1847 and 30 April 1848. Clay's
letters dated 2 December 1847 and 12 April 1848 relate to his own candidacy.
Letters of sympathy concern the outcome of the Whig nominating
convention. |
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BOX I:26 REEL 6 |
22 July 1848-4 Nov. 1852
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Additional letters concern the outcome of the Whig nominating convention.
Writing on 11 September 1848, Clay disclaimed any intention to run as a
third party candidate. His letter of 31 May 1850 to Thomas Hart Clay
revealed pessimism over passage of the Compromise measures. In the last
years of his life, Clay wrote many letters to his wife, Lucretia Hart Clay.
The last third of volume 26 consists of letters of condolence (see also
letters of condolence in Part II: General Correspondence). |
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BOX I:27 REEL 6 |
Undated
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Undated correspondence and miscellaneous material relate to Henry Clay;
other Clay family papers are dated 1853-1910. |
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Clay family, 1853-1910, undated |
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BOX I:28-34 REEL I:7-8 |
Part I: Dispatches and Instructions,
1825-1829
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Diplomatic correspondence and instructions. |
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Arranged chronologically. |
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BOX I:28 REEL 7 |
10 Mar.-10 May 1825
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BOX I:29 REEL 7 |
11 May-22 Nov. 1825
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BOX I:30 REEL 7 |
24 Nov. 1825-13 June 1826
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BOX I:31 REEL 7 |
19 June-8 Nov. 1826
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BOX I:32 REEL 8 |
11 Nov. 1826-4 May 1827
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BOX I:33 REEL 8 |
11 May 1827-20 Feb. 1828
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BOX I:34 REEL 8 |
21 Feb. 1828-28 Feb. 1829
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BOX I:35Not filmed |
Part I: Addenda, 1785-1924
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Correspondence, newspaper clippings, reports, speeches, and other material. |
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Organized into correspondence and printed matter and arranged chronologically
therein. |
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BOX I:35 |
Correspondence |
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Originals, 1814-1853
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(2 folders) |
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Photostats,
1785-1888
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Printed matter, 1823-1924,
undated
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(2 folders) |
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BOX II:36-40 |
Part II: General Correspondence,
1800-1891
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Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, notes, and speeches. |
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Arranged by type of correspondence and chronologically therein. |
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BOX II:36 |
General correspondence |
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Feb. 1800-Jan. 1824
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(7 folders) |
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BOX II:37 |
Feb. 1824-Dec. 1831
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(7 folders) |
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BOX II:38 |
Jan. 1832-Dec. 1842
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(7 folders) |
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BOX II:39 |
Jan. 1843-May 1852, undated
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:40 |
Condolence letters,
1852-1853
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Other correspondence,
1801-1857
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Envelopes, annotated wrappings, etc.,
circa 1806-1891, undated
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BOX II:40-49 |
Part II: Family Correspondence, 1780-1927
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Correspondence, envelopes, journals, memoranda, notes, speeches, and telegrams.
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Organized into family correspondence, other correspondence, and envelopes and
arranged chronologically therein. |
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BOX II:40 |
Family correspondence |
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Originals |
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Nov. 1780-Oct. 1812
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(4 folders) |
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BOX II:41 |
Nov. 1812-Oct. 1849
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:42 |
Nov. 1849-May 1855
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:43 |
June 1855-Jan. 1858
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:44 |
Feb. 1858-Feb. 1863
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:45 |
Mar. 1863-July 1873
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:46 |
Aug. 1873-Sept. 1884
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:47 |
Oct. 1884-Aug. 1912
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(6 folders) |
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BOX II:48 |
Sept. 1912-Aug. 1927, undated
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(3 folders) |
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Photostatic copies,
1781-1923
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(3 folders) |
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Other correspondence |
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1782-1803
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BOX II:49 |
1804-1863, undated
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(2 folders) |
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Envelopes, annotated wrappings, etc.,
circa 1781-1917
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(3 folders) |
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