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开 本: 16开纸 张: 胶版纸包 装: 平装是否套装: 否国际标准书号ISBN: 9780812978957
In this engaging biography of an important American lawmaker,
David and Jeanne Heidler paint a revealing portrait of Henry Clay,
a man who was critical to the life of the nation in the tumultuous
19th century. Never president but always in the arena, Clay
is a remarkable architect of the Union, and we owe the Heidlers a
debt for bringing him to life in these pages.—Jon Meacham,
Pulitzer-Prize winning author of American Lion
“Henry Clay’s 49-year political career bridged the
America of Alexander Hamilton and the America of Abraham Lincoln.
Like them, he labored to strengthen and preserve the Union, and to
secure its economic development through an enlightened alliance
between private enterprise and public authority. Beautifully
written, richly detailed, and wonderfully informative, David and
Jeanne Heidler’s account of Clay’s life is deeply sympathetic, yet
not uncritical. It should appeal to both academic and general
audiences. These two accomplished historians have accorded a great
statesman the biography he deserves.”—Daniel Walker Howe,
Pulitzer-Prize winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The
Transformation of America, 1815-1848
“Although Henry Clay ran three times for president and lost each
time, he nevertheless dominated the American political scene during
the first half of the nineteenth century. His unparalleled
combination of skill, charisma, and energy are on display in this
biography by David and Jeanne Heidler, which offers new information
and insights on the man whom Abraham Lincoln described as “my beau
ideal of a statesman.” “—James M. McPherson, Pulitzer-Prize winning
author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War
Era
From the Hardcover edition.
figures in our history.
He was the Great Compromiser, a canny and colorful legislator and
leader whose life mirrors the story of America from its founding
until the eve of the Civil War. Speaker of the House, senator,
secretary of state, five-time presidential candidate, and idol to
the young Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is captured in full at last
in this rich and sweeping biography that vividly portrays all the
drama of his times.
David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler present Clay in his early
years as a precocious, witty, and optimistic Virginia boy, raised
on a farm, who at the age of twenty transformed himself from
bumpkin to attorney—a shrewd and sincere defender of the ordinary
man who would be his eventual political base. The authors reveal
Clay’s tumultuous career in Washington, one that transformed the
capital and the country. Nicknamed “the Western Star,” Clay became
the youngest Speaker of the House shortly before the War of 1812
and transformed that position into one of unprecedented power.
Then, as a senator, he joined and sometimes fought John Calhoun and
Daniel Webster to push through crucial legislation affecting
everything from slavery to banking. Commonly regarded as the
greatest U.S. senator in history, Clay served under ten presidents
and overshadowed most of them, with the notable exception of his
archrival Andrew Jackson. Clay ran unsuccessfully for president
five times, and his participation in the deadlocked election of
1824 brought about the “Corrupt Bargain” with John Quincy Adams
that made Clay secretary of state—and haunted him for the rest of
his career. As no other book, Henry Clay humanizes Clay’s marriage
to plain, wealthy Lucretia Hart, a union rumored to be mercenary on
his part but that lasted fifty-three years and produced eleven
children.
Featuring an inimitable supporting cast including Aaron Burr,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, James Polk, and
Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is beautifully written and replete with
fresh anecdotes and insights. But it is Henry Clay who often rises
above them all. Horse trader and risk taker, arm twister and joke
teller, Clay was the consummate politician who gave ground, made
deals, and changed the lives of millions. His life is an astounding
tale—and here superbly told.
From the Hardcover edition.
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