One—if not the most—of the most influential politicians in American history who never became President, though he tried several times, was praised and vilified throughout his life then slowly forgotten in the century and a half after his death. Henry Clay: The Essential American by David S. Heidler...
Henry Clay is a singularly unfashionable figure for our times. A professional politician, he was a firm believer in compromise and celebrated as the greatest practitioner of it. Though he hungered for the presidency, he repeatedly reiterated his belief in legislative supremacy and opposed Andrew Ja...
David and Jeanne Heidler's book is a useful narrative account of Clay's political career, one defined by his longtime (and unsuccessful) quest for the presidency. In clear language they explain well the political battles of the era, conveying a good sense of the issues and personalities involved. Ye...
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