Reviews for Henry Clay

The average rating for Henry Clay based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-09-20 00:00:00 Christopher Chapman A two volume political biography of Henry Clay - written in 1887 by Carl Schurz. The emphasis is almost completely on Clay's public life, on Clay as legislator and presidential candidate. His personal life is barely mentioned - his family life completely ignored - with only an occasional mention of a death of one of his children - but even that receives only a line or two, with the child's name and age not even given. This book is definitely not a complete portrait of the man. The author's interest is solely in Clay, the public figure. This is quite refreshing - one is spared the usual psychological reconstructions that are never quite convincing - One is given only the facts - the subjects deeds and words. Moreover, Schurz is quite astute in his analysis of Clay, the politician - of his thinking, his motivations, his relationships with the other major actors of that time, Jackson, Webster, Calhoun, Adams - all of whom receive insightful analyses. Schurz brings all of these men to life, lucidly explains their contributions to the contemporary political debates, thus providing a superb legislative history of the first half of the 19th century. His expositions of the policy issues of that era are succinct, logically clear, unbiased, and detailed. Even those on economic policy - those involving the tariff, the Bank, the "species circular", etc - are made not only understandable but interesting. Course, the major value of this biography, the added bonus, is the insight it provides into the thinking of the author, himself a significant figure in the 19th century - though now mostly forgotten. A German liberal who found refuge in America after the failure of the revolutions of 18489, he was briefly Lincoln's ambassador to Spain, but quickly returned and was appointed a "political general". He commanded a division in the Army of the Potomac, one of Howard's mostly German XI Corps. Was elected senator from my state of Missouri, the first German-born to serve in that body. Later was Secretary of the Interior under Rutherford Hayes. Was a stalwart of the liberal wing of the Republican Party (the good government, Civil Service Reform, anti-corruption folks). Joined Mark Twain in the Anti-Imperialist League. This book is a powerful corrective to the usual image of Shurz (common among Civil War buffs) as just another bungling political general. Anyone reading it cannot be impressed by his deep understanding of men and politics, by his commitment to democracy and principled political debate. And it really is a well-written, serious biography of Henry Clay.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-04-01 00:00:00 Ilkka Nivala Robert Remini’s “Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union” was published in 1991 and was the first traditional biography of Clay in more than half a century (since Glyndon Van Deusen’s 1937 “The Life of Henry Clay”). Remini was a distinguished historian and authored nearly two dozen books – including biographies of Andrew Jackson I previously read and reviewed. Remini died in 2013 at the age of 91. As the preeminent biographer of Andrew Jackson (Clay’s long-time political rival), Remini seems the perfect person to author a comprehensive review of Henry Clay’s life. But because Jackson and Clay were such bitter political enemies, he is also an unconventional choice to write a balanced account of Clay’s personal life and political career. But this 786-page biography is not only scrupulously objective, it almost seems to betray a preference for Clay over Jackson. Written in a strictly chronological style, this book is easy to follow, extremely well researched and provides tremendous insight into Clay’s enormously compelling and controversial career. Remini’s writing style, however, too often feels “heavy” and lacks the elegance, fluidity and vivid scene-setting which great biographies frequently exhibit. Fortunately for the reader, Clay’s dynamic and often exasperating personality is artfully dissected and articulated early in this biography. And because Remini’s knowledge of the era is so deep, the narrative rarely loses sight of the “big picture.” Finally, because he understands Andrew Jackson so well, Remini is able to skillfully compare and contrast the political styles and strengths of these two extraordinarily fascinating contemporaries. Nevertheless, readers will quickly encounter several flaws in this otherwise titillating biography. First, its length is unquestionably intimidating and, after several chapters, the narrative settles into a tediously mechanistic routine of regurgitating Clay’s day-to-day movements and summarizing his congressional speeches (many of which are, admittedly, quite stirring). In addition, Remini’s ongoing appraisal of Clay’s persona grows familiar and predictable and he feels over-simplified and oddly two-dimensional. Remini also seems strangely uncritical of Clay’s most conspicuous and contradictory flaw – his personal embrace of slavery while publicly claiming to despise it. But it is Remini’s literary loquacity which proves even more frustrating: Clay’s life could have been fully revealed with far greater efficiency (if not clarity). Finally, the biography unfortunately ends shortly after Clay’s death without considering his legacy or his substantial contribution to the American political scene. Overall, Robert Remini’s “Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union” is an enormously valuable historical reference document and an interesting, but too often tedious, personal and political biography. Readers with a healthy dose of perseverance will find Remini and Henry Clay work well together. But the most lasting impression I take away is not that Remini’s biography of Clay isn’t good…it’s that it should have been great. Overall rating: 3¾ stars