1803-1806: Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
1806-1807: United States Senator for Kentucky (3 months)
1807-1809: Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
1810-1811: United States Senator for Kentucky (3 months)
1811-1821: Member of the United States House of Representatives
-major part of pivot towards government willing to fund internal improvements
-in era of debt having been cleared and repeated budget surpluses
1814-1821: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
-turns this post into fulcrum of legislation
-in what is unprecedented accumulation of power into the post
-and when restrained by precedent on what he can say
-he turns the House into a Committee of the Whole which allows him to speak openly with softened rules
1821-1829: Secretary of State of the United States
-moving force behind the US's Wars > Luisiana War (1823-8)
-having long been part of the effort to secure better US rights over Mississippi trade
-is leading representative of government in peace talks
-and successfully secures peace treaty
1829-1837: President of the United States
1839-1852: United States Senator for Kentucky
-wants to retire for a time
-but is involved in union party formation
-beginning of US's Wars > Second Quasi War (1839-42) means he wants to be in congress again, arranges it
-Clay gets elected senator, quickly become frontbencher
-anti-pike opposition crystallizes around him and his policies
-reunifies the Democrats by doing so
-opposes war firmly in congress but pike initiates actions nevertheless
-promotes new financial laws in congress
-upon election of American Presidents > 1845-1852 Daniel Webster (Democratic) †, attempts to push cabinet appointment, refused
-relations frosty, but clay nevertheless moving force behind new laws
-during second nullification crisis, clay attempts to push compromise
-but webster preempts clay by pushing against nullification hard
-through lobbying Webster is able to scuttle Clay's compromise
-when nullifiers defeated, clay admits webster might be right
-but insists it might be the beginning of a later break between north and south
-dies on July 4, most patriotically
-on same day as Daniel Webster
-joint funerary oration by Edward Everett, hyper-influential in the shaping of their modern images
1841-1850: President pro tempore of the United States Senate
-honor granted to Clay in honor of his tenure as president
-he is first ex-president ever elected to the senate
-not actually very active in this role
-firstly under American Presidents > 1837-1845 Zebulon Pike (Republican) Peter V. Daniel serves in this role to take it from Unionists
-secondly under American Presidents > 1845-1852 Daniel Webster (Democratic) † Petigru is very effective presiding officer of Senate
-eventually bows out of this post due to old age and bad health
Clay Cabinet
Vice President
-1829-1837: John Sergeant
Secretary of State
-1829-1830: William Lowndes (resigned over nullification)
-1830-1837: James Barbour
Secretary of Domestic Affairs (created by bill)
-1831-1837: idk
Secretary of the Treasury
-1829-1832: Richard Rush (resigned to run for senator)
-1832-1837: Louis McLane
Secretary of War
-1829-1837: Peter B. Porter
Attorney General
-1829-1831: Richard M. Johnson (resigned over the tariff)
-1829-1832: John J. Crittenden (became Supreme Court Associate Justice)
-1832-1837: Francis T. Brook
Secretary of the Navy
-1829-1837: James Pleasants
Postmaster General
-1829-1837: Robert P. Letcher