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HENRY CLAY: THE GREAT COMPROMISER, PART I - Page 2

© John S. Cooper

When Clay was 29, the governor of Kentucky appointed Clay to fill the remainder of an unexpired term in the United States Senate. Even though he was not old enough under the provisions of the Constitution, the Senate allowed him to take his seat. At the end of the term the following year, Clay returned to Kentucky and was elected Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, a position he filled until 1809.

While serving as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Clay challenged a new Federalist member to a duel as a result of verbal abuse of Clay by the new member during the debate over President Jefferson’s Embargo Act. The duel was held on January 9, 1809, and the result was that both participants were slightly wounded. This incident was characteristic of Clay’s personality. He had a romantic sense of honor that often led to dramatic actions on his part. He was bold and decisive, but could also be impulsive and emotional. He had a quick temper that could be ignited by a perceived personal slight, but would shortly afterwards be completely forgiving.

Later in his career, he challenged Virginia Congressman John Randolph to a duel. Randolph, the acerbic, eccentric aristocrat had called Clay, among other things, a “blackleg” which referred to a dishonest gambler. Clay challenged Randolph, and Randolph accepted. They met on April 8, 1826 at half past four in the afternoon on the Virginia side of the Potomac. The weapons were pistols at ten paces.

The two men met, each with two seconds and a surgeon in attendance. Clay was positioned in front of a small tree stump and Randolph in front of a low bank of gravel. While they were waiting, Randolph was trying to adjust his pistol when the hair trigger discharged the weapon into the ground. He was given another pistol. When the call was given, both men fired. Randolph’s shot struck the small stump behind Clay. Clay’s shot knocked up some dirt from the gravelly bank behind Randolph. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, no stranger to duels, offered to mediate, but both men insisted on another exchange of fire. In the second round, Randolph received Clay’s fire, which pierced his jacket at the hip without injuring him. Randolph then fired his pistol into the air saying, “I do not fire at you, Mr. Clay.” The two shook hands, Randolph stating that Clay owed him a new coat. Clay made a gallant reply saying he was glad the debt was not greater. The following Monday, they exchanged cards and resumed normal relations. Senator Benton said it was the last “high-toned duel” he ever saw.

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