The Fitchburg Furnace is a historic iron furnace located in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Estill County , KY.
126-607: The furnace is the world's largest charcoal iron furnace and the last to be built in Kentucky. The structure was state of the art in its time. With core of the furnace consisted of twin stacks built of local sandstone using traditional dry laid stone masonry, and today is counted among the top dry masonry projects in the world. The massive structure stands 115 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 65 feet high. A number of innovative features first used at this furnace were later taken up by modern furnaces. Designed by Fred Fitch and built by Sam Worthley,
252-493: A congressional nominating caucus to choose their presidential nominees, giving congressmen a powerful role in the presidential selection process. Monroe and Secretary of War William Crawford emerged as the two main candidates for the Democratic-Republican nomination. Clay had a favorable opinion of both individuals, but he supported Monroe, who won the nomination and went on to defeat Federalist candidate Rufus King in
378-488: A slave state , Maine would be admitted as a free state, and slavery would be forbidden in the territories north of 36° 30' parallel. Clay helped assemble a coalition that passed the Missouri Compromise , as Thomas's proposal became known. Further controversy ensued when Missouri's constitution banned free blacks from entering the state, but Clay was able to engineer another compromise that allowed Missouri to join as
504-456: A choice between the president and a "monied oligarchy." Ultimately, Clay was unable to defeat a popular sitting president. Jackson won 219 of the 286 electoral votes and 54.2% of the popular vote, carrying almost every state outside of New England. The high rates of the Tariff of 1828 and the Tariff of 1832 angered many Southerners because they resulted in higher prices for imported goods. After
630-762: A close to the War of 1812. After the signing of the treaty, Clay briefly traveled to London, where he helped Gallatin negotiate a commercial agreement with Britain. Clay returned to the United States in September 1815; despite his absence, he had been elected to another term in the House of Representatives. Upon his return to Congress, Clay won election as Speaker of the House. The War of 1812 strengthened Clay's support for interventionist economic policies such as federally funded internal improvements, which he believed were necessary to improve
756-526: A dispute erupted over the proposed statehood of Missouri after New York Congressman James Tallmadge introduced a legislative amendment that would provide for the gradual emancipation of Missouri's slaves. Though Clay had previously called for gradual emancipation in Kentucky, he sided with the Southerners in voting down Tallmadge's amendment. Clay instead supported Illinois Senator Jesse B. Thomas 's compromise proposal in which Missouri would be admitted as
882-577: A fee in 1807. Thomas Jefferson later convinced Clay that Burr had been guilty of the charges. Clay's legal practice was light after his election to Congress. In the 1823 case Green v. Biddle , Clay submitted the Supreme Court's first amicus curiae . However, he lost that case. Clay entered politics shortly after arriving in Kentucky. In his first political speech, he attacked the Alien and Sedition Acts , laws passed by Federalists to suppress dissent during
1008-487: A household in the county was $ 23,318, and the median income for a family was $ 27,284. Males had a median income of $ 29,254 versus $ 18,849 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 12,285. About 22.50% of families and 26.40% of the population were below the poverty line , including 32.30% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over. Although it lies in the Bluegrass and Knobs regions, Estill County
1134-697: A large budget deficit, Tyler also signed the Tariff of 1842 , which restored the protective rates of the Tariff of 1832 but ended the distribution policy that had been established with the Preemption Act of 1841. President Tyler's break with the Whig Party, combined with Webster's continuing affiliation with Tyler, positioned Clay as the leading contender for the Whig nomination in the 1844 presidential election . By 1842, most observers believed that Clay would face Van Buren in
1260-407: A large inheritance. After the deaths of Anne and Susan, Clay and Lucretia raised several grandchildren at Ashland. In November 1797, Clay relocated to Lexington, Kentucky, near where his parents and siblings resided. The Bluegrass region, with Lexington at its center, had quickly grown in the preceding decades but had only recently stopped being under the threat of Native American raids. Lexington
1386-539: A major recession that badly damaged the Democratic Party. Clay and other Whigs argued that Jackson's policies, including the use of pet banks, had encouraged speculation and caused the panic. He promoted the American System as a means for economic recovery, but President Van Buren's response focused on the practice of "strict economy and frugality." As the 1840 presidential election approached, many expected that
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#17332025263931512-509: A member of the Democratic-Republican Party but also a member of the " tertium quids " group that opposed many federal initiatives, emerged as a prominent opponent of Speaker Clay. While Randolph frequently attempted to obstruct Clay's initiatives, Clay became a master of parliamentary maneuvers that enabled him to advance his agenda even over the attempted obstruction by Randolph and others. Clay and other war hawks demanded that
1638-410: A minor censure from the Kentucky legislature. In 1810, U.S. Senator Buckner Thruston resigned to accept appointment to a position as a federal judge, and Clay was selected by the legislature to fill Thruston's seat. Clay quickly emerged as a fierce critic of British attacks on American shipping, becoming part of an informal group of " war hawks " who favored expansionist policies. He also advocated
1764-412: A national bank bill acceptable to Tyler, but Tyler vetoed two separate bills to re-establish the national bank, showing that he in fact had no will to reach a solution for the party's issues. Clay and other Whig leaders were now outraged not only by Tyler's rejection of the Whig party platform but also because they felt that Tyler had purposely misled them into thinking that he would sign the bills. After
1890-507: A national bank, a key priority of Clay's. Clay nonetheless initially expected that Tyler would approve the measures passed by the Whig-controlled Congress; his priorities included the re-establishment of the national bank, higher tariff rates, a national bankruptcy law, and an act to distribute the proceeds of land sales to the states for investments in infrastructure and education. Clay and his congressional allies attempted to craft
2016-540: A powerful effect on Clay's worldview, with Clay embracing Wythe's belief that the example of the United States could help spread human freedom around the world. Wythe subsequently arranged a position for Clay with Virginia attorney general Robert Brooke , with the understanding that Brooke would finish Clay's legal studies. After completing his studies under Brooke, Clay was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1797. On April 11, 1799, Clay married Lucretia Hart (1781–1864) at
2142-588: A precarious economic position. However, the widow Elizabeth Clay married Captain Henry Watkins, a successful planter and cousin to John Clay. Elizabeth would have seven more children with Watkins, bearing a total of sixteen children. Watkins became a kind and supportive stepfather and Clay had a very good relationship with him. After his mother's remarriage, the young Clay remained in Hanover County, where he learned how to read and write. In 1791, Watkins moved
2268-490: A reputation for strong legal ability and courtroom oratory. In 1805, he was appointed to the faculty of Transylvania University where he taught, among others, future Kentucky Governor Robert P. Letcher and Robert Todd, the future father-in-law of Abraham Lincoln . Clay's most notable client was Aaron Burr , who was indicted for treason in the Burr conspiracy . Clay and his law partner John Allen successfully defended Burr without
2394-461: A request from President Madison. Madison signed the declaration of war on June 18, 1812, beginning the War of 1812. During the war, Clay frequently communicated with Secretary of State James Monroe and Secretary of War William Eustis , though he advocated for the replacement of the latter. The war started poorly for the Americans, and Clay lost friends and relatives in the fighting. In October 1813,
2520-449: A sarcastic tongue," voted against it. In early 1809, Clay challenged Marshall to a duel , which took place on January 19. While many contemporary duels were called off or fought without the intention of killing one another, both Clay and Marshall fought the duel with the intent of killing their opponent. They each had three turns to shoot; both were hit by bullets, but both survived. Clay quickly recovered from his injury and received only
2646-444: A single term. Following the nomination of a pro-annexation Democrat, Tyler soon ended his incipient independent run for president and endorsed Polk. Clay was surprised by Van Buren's defeat but remained confident of his chances in the 1844 election. Polk was the first " dark horse " presidential nominee in U.S. history, and Whigs mocked him as a "fourth rate politician." Despite his relative lack of national stature, Polk proved to be
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#17332025263932772-568: A smokehouse, a greenhouse, and several barns. There were 122 enslaved people at the estate during Clay's lifetime, with about 50 people needed for farming and the household. He planted crops such as corn, wheat, and rye, as well as hemp , the chief crop of the Bluegrass region . Clay also took a strong interest in thoroughbred racing and imported livestock such as Arabian horses , Maltese donkeys , and Hereford cattle . Though Clay suffered some financial issues during economic downturns, he never fell deeply into debt and ultimately left his children
2898-700: A state in August 1821. In foreign policy, Clay was a leading American supporter of the independence movements and revolutions that broke out in Latin America beginning in 1810. Clay frequently called on the Monroe administration to recognize the fledgling Latin American republics, but Monroe feared that doing so would derail his plans to acquire Spanish Florida . In 1818, General Andrew Jackson crossed into Spanish Florida to suppress raids by Seminole Indians. Though Jackson
3024-448: A stonemason from Scotland, the furnace was completed in 1869, and operated by Red River Iron Works. It is unique in that it consists of two furnaces in a single structure. It operated from 1870 to 1874 and employed over 1000 men. In 1870, this furnace produced 10,000 tons of pig iron valued at more than $ 60,000. The production of pig iron was one of Kentucky's earliest industries. A major producer of iron since 1791, Kentucky ranked third in
3150-616: A strong candidate capable of uniting the factions of the Democratic Party and winning the support of Southerners who had been reluctant to support Van Buren. Clay's stance on slavery alienated some voters in both the North and the South. Pro-slavery Southerners flocked to Polk, while many Northern abolitionists , who tended to align with the Whig Party, favored James G. Birney of the Liberty Party . Clay's opposition to annexation damaged his campaign in
3276-520: A trading advantage over the United States. Seeking deeper relations with Latin American countries, Clay strongly favored sending American delegates to the Congress of Panama , but his efforts were defeated by opponents in the Senate. Adams proposed an ambitious domestic program based in large part on Clay's American System, but Clay warned the president that many of his proposals held little chance of passage in
3402-440: A trial. Before the House chamber, he compared Jackson to military dictators of the past, telling his colleagues "that Greece had her Alexander , Rome her Caesar , England her Cromwell , France her Bonaparte , and, that if we would escape the rock on which they split, we must avoid their errors." Jackson saw Clay's protestations as an attack on his character and thus began a long rivalry between Clay and Jackson. The rivalry and
3528-587: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky . As of the 2020 census , the population was 14,163. Its county seat is Irvine . The county was formed in 1808 and named for Captain James Estill , a Kentucky militia officer who was killed in the Battle of Little Mountain during the American Revolutionary War . Estill County is a moist county meaning that the county seat, the city of Irvine, allows
3654-669: Is today Madison County. Estill County was one of the first areas in the United States to experience early industrialization, with iron mining and smelting beginning in 1810. The iron industry would go on to thrive in Estill County for decades, with the ruins of the Estill furnace, the Cottage furnace, and the Fitchburg Furnace still being visible today. The Fitchburg furnace was a particularly impressive engineering feat. Standing 81 feet tall,
3780-496: The 1840 election but was passed over at the Whig National Convention in favor of Harrison. When Harrison died and his vice president John Tyler ascended to office in 1841, Clay clashed with Tyler, who broke with Clay and other congressional Whigs. Clay resigned from the Senate in 1842 and won the 1844 Whig presidential nomination, but he was narrowly defeated in the general election by Democrat James K. Polk , who made
3906-462: The 1840 elections , Clay saw the upcoming 27th Congress as an opportunity for the Whig Party to establish itself as the dominant political party by leading the country out of recession. President-elect Harrison asked Clay to serve another term as Secretary of State, but Clay chose to remain in Congress. Webster was instead chosen as Secretary of State, while John J. Crittenden , a close ally of Clay,
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4032-530: The 1844 Whig National Convention , but a minority of expansionist Southern Democrats, encouraged by Tyler's alternative outline, blocked Van Buren's nomination at the 1844 Democratic National Convention for countless ballots, until Van Buren withdrew, making place for an unexpected compromise candidate: The party nominated former Speaker of the House James K. Polk of Tennessee, who favored annexation, but in order to calm anti-expansionists, promised to just run for
4158-572: The 19th Congress . Adams's opponents defeated many of his proposals, including the establishment of a naval academy and a national observatory, but Adams did preside over the construction or initiation of major infrastructure projects like the National Road and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal . Followers of Adams began to call themselves National Republicans , and Jackson's followers became known as Democrats . Both campaigns spread untrue stories about
4284-527: The Cabinet post. Jackson was outraged by the election, and he and his supporters accused Clay and Adams of having reached a " Corrupt Bargain ." Pro-Jackson forces immediately began preparing for the 1828 presidential election , with the Corrupt Bargain accusation becoming their central issue. Clay served as secretary of state from 1825 to 1829. As secretary of state, he was the top foreign policy official in
4410-558: The Force Bill , which would authorize the president to send federal soldiers against South Carolina if it sought to nullify federal law. Though Clay favored high tariff rates, he found Jackson's strong rhetoric against South Carolina distressing and sought to avoid a crisis that could end in civil war. He proposed a compromise tariff bill that would lower tariff rates, but do so gradually, thereby giving manufacturing interests time to adapt to less protective rates. Clay's compromise tariff won
4536-543: The Napoleonic Wars , President Jefferson arranged passage of the Embargo Act of 1807 . In support of Jefferson's policy, which limited trade with foreign powers, Clay introduced a resolution to require legislators to wear homespun suits rather than those made of imported British broadcloth . The vast majority of members of the state house voted for the measure, but Humphrey Marshall , an "aristocratic lawyer who possessed
4662-548: The Quasi-War with France. Like most Kentuckians, Clay was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party , but he clashed with state party leaders over a state constitutional convention. Using the pseudonym "Scaevola" (in reference to Gaius Mucius Scaevola ), Clay advocated for direct elections for Kentucky elected officials and the gradual emancipation of slavery in Kentucky . The 1799 Kentucky Constitution included
4788-624: The Red River , famous for its gorge in neighboring Powell County, forming the northern border. And the Kentucky River bisecting the county. Much of Estill County's development, including the towns of Irvine and Ravenna, is located in the fertile bottomlands of the Kentucky River. Additionally, due to the Kentucky River's deep valley and Estill County's location at the edge of the Cumberland plateau
4914-640: The Whig Party . The term "Whig" originated from a speech Clay delivered in 1834, in which he compared opponents of Jackson to the Whigs , a British political party opposed to absolute monarchy . Neither the Whigs nor the Democrats were unified geographically or ideologically. However, Whigs tended to favor a stronger legislature, a stronger federal government, a higher tariff, greater spending on infrastructure, re-authorization of
5040-443: The national bank , and high protective tariff rates . In 1820 he helped bring an end to a sectional crisis over slavery by leading the passage of the Missouri Compromise . Clay finished with the fourth-most electoral votes in the multi-candidate 1824-1825 presidential election and used his position as speaker to help John Quincy Adams win the contingent election held to select the president. President Adams then appointed Clay to
5166-486: The " American System ," which encompassed many of the economic measures, including protective tariffs and infrastructure investments, that he helped pass in the aftermath of the War of 1812. Like Jefferson and George Washington , President Madison decided to retire after two terms, leaving open the Democratic-Republican nomination for the 1816 presidential election . At the time, the Democratic-Republicans used
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5292-526: The 1832 election, South Carolina held a state convention that declared the tariff rates of 1828 and 1832 to be nullified within the state, and further declared that federal collection of import duties would be illegal after January 1833. In response to this Nullification Crisis , Jackson issued his Proclamation to the People of South Carolina , which strongly denied the right of states to nullify federal laws or secede . He asked Congress to pass what became known as
5418-530: The 1844 presidential election, as he had still remained as the clear leader of the Democrats and, following the tradition of the founders, wanted a second term. Hoping to win another term, President Tyler forged an alliance with John C. Calhoun and pursued the annexation of the Republic of Texas , which would add another slave state to the union. After President Tyler concluded an annexation treaty with Texas, Clay announced his opposition to annexation. He argued that
5544-534: The Adams administration, but he also held several domestic duties, such as oversight of the patent office. Clay came to like Adams, a former rival, and to despise Jackson. They developed a strong working relationship. Adams and Clay were both wary of forming entangling alliances with the emerging states, and they continued to uphold the Monroe Doctrine , which called for European non-intervention in former colonies. Clay
5670-510: The British asked Madison to begin negotiations in Europe, and Madison asked Clay to join his diplomatic team, as the president hoped that the presence of the leading war hawk would ensure support for a peace treaty. Clay was reluctant to leave Congress but felt duty-bound to accept the offer, and so he resigned from Congress on January 19, 1814. Clay left the country on February 25, but negotiations with
5796-416: The British did not begin until August 1814. Clay was part of a team of five commissioners that included Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin , Senator James Bayard , ambassador Jonathan Russell , and ambassador John Quincy Adams , the head of the American team. Clay and Adams maintained an uneasy relationship marked by frequent clashes, and Gallatin emerged as the unofficial leader of the American team. When
5922-478: The British finally presented their initial peace offer, Clay was outraged by its terms, especially the British proposal for an Indian barrier state on the Great Lakes . After a series of American military successes in 1814, the British delegation made several concessions and offered a better peace deal. While Adams and Gallatin were eager to make peace as quickly as possible even if that required sub-optimal terms in
6048-552: The British revoke the Orders in Council , a series of decrees that had resulted in a de facto commercial war with the United States. Though Clay recognized the dangers inherent in fighting Britain, one of the most powerful countries in the world, he saw it as the only realistic alternative to a humiliating submission to British attacks on American shipping. Clay led a successful effort in the House to declare war against Britain, complying with
6174-536: The Hart home in Lexington, Kentucky . Her father, Colonel Thomas Hart, was an early settler of Kentucky and a prominent businessman. Hart proved to be an important business connection for Clay, as he helped Clay gain new clients and grow in professional stature. Hart was the namesake and grand-uncle of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton and was also related to James Brown , a prominent Louisiana politician, and Isaac Shelby ,
6300-743: The House. His tenure was interrupted from 1814 to 1815 when he was a commissioner to peace talks with the British in Ghent , United Netherlands to end the War of 1812 , and from 1821 to 1823, when he left Congress to rebuild his family's fortune in the aftermath of the Panic of 1819 . Elected speaker six times , Clay's cumulative tenure in office of 10 years, 196 days, is the second-longest, surpassed only by Sam Rayburn . As speaker, Clay wielded considerable power in making committee appointments, and like many of his predecessors he assigned his allies to important committees. Clay
6426-563: The National Road to New Orleans . In 1830, Jackson vetoed the project both because he felt that the road did not constitute interstate commerce, and also because he generally opposed using the federal government to promote economic modernization. While Jackson's veto garnered support from opponents of infrastructure spending, it damaged his base of support in Clay's home state of Kentucky. Clay returned to federal office in 1831 by winning election to
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#17332025263936552-529: The North due to his ownership of slaves and lingering association with the Freemasons, and in the South from Whigs who distrusted his moderate stance on slavery. Clay won a plurality on the first ballot of the Whig National Convention, but, with the help of Thurlow Weed and other backers, Harrison consolidated support on subsequent ballots and won the Whig presidential nomination on the fifth ballot of
6678-655: The Ravenna Railroad Festival annually in late summer, and the historic Fitchburg & Cottage Furnaces are located here. Irvine hosts the annual Mountain Mushroom Festival over the last weekend of April, which celebrates the abundant Morel Mushrooms found in the region. Estill County was formed in 1808 from land given by Clark and Madison counties, it was Kentucky's 50th county. Originally settled by European settlers entering Kentucky via old buffalo and Indian trails and traveling through Boonesborough in what
6804-588: The Red River at 566 feet. Other high points include Happy Top Mountain, 1,500 feet; Preacher Estes Mountain, 1,475 feet; Peter Mountain, 1,454 feet; Low Knob, 1,450 feet; and Big Round Mountain, Buzzard Roost, and McKinney Mountain, each at 1,420 feet. As of the census of 2000, there were 15,307 people, 6,108 households, and 4,434 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 per square mile (23/km ). There were 6,824 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km ). The racial makeup of
6930-636: The Second Bank of the United States, and publicly funded education. Conversely, Democrats tended to favor a stronger president, stronger state governments, lower tariffs, hard money , and expansionism. Neither party took a strong national stand on slavery. The Whig base of support lay in wealthy businessmen, professionals, the professional class, and large planters, while the Democratic base of support lay in immigrant Catholics and yeomen farmers, but each party appealed across class lines. Partly due to grief over
7056-507: The Senate over Richard Mentor Johnson in a 73 to 64 vote of the Kentucky legislature. His return to the Senate after 20 years, 8 months, 7 days out of office, marks the fourth-longest gap in service to the chamber in history. With the defeat of Adams, Clay became the de facto leader of the National Republicans, and he began making preparations for a presidential campaign in the 1832 election . In 1831, Jackson made it clear that he
7182-514: The South, as Democrats argued that he worked in unison with Northerners to stop the extension of slavery. In July, Clay wrote two letters in which he attempted to clarify his position on the annexation of Texas, and Democrats attacked his supposedly inconsistent position. Polk narrowly won the election, taking 49.5% of the popular vote and 170 of the 275 electoral votes. Birney won several thousand anti-annexation votes in New York, and his presence in
7308-475: The Treasury Louis McLane would convince Jackson to allow the re-charter. Biddle's application set off the " Bank War "; Congress passed a bill to renew the national bank's charter, but Jackson vetoed it, holding the bank to be unconstitutional. Clay had initially hoped that the national bank re-charter would work to his advantage, but Jackson's allies seized on the issue, redefining the 1832 election as
7434-483: The Treasury Roger Taney pursued a policy of removing all federal deposits from the national bank and placing them in state-chartered banks known as " pet banks ." Because federal law required the president to deposit federal revenue in the national bank so long as it was financially stable, many regarded Jackson's actions as illegal, and Clay led the passage of a Senate motion censuring Jackson. Nonetheless,
7560-585: The U.S. House of Representatives in 1810. He was chosen as Speaker of the House in early 1811 and, along with President James Madison , led the United States into the War of 1812 against Great Britain. In 1814, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent , which brought an end to the War of 1812, and then after the war, Clay returned to his position as Speaker of the House and developed the American System , which called for federal infrastructure investments , support for
7686-476: The U.S. in the 1830s and 11th in 1865. Estill County in particular was one of the first areas in the United States to experience early industrialization, with iron mining and smelting beginning in 1810. The iron industry thrived in Estill County for decades, with the ruins of several furnaces, in addition to Fitchburg Furnace, being visible today, including the Estill furnace and the Cottage furnace. After 1879,
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#17332025263937812-602: The Virginia Court of Chancery. Clay adapted well to his new role, and his handwriting earned him the attention of College of William & Mary professor George Wythe , a signer of the Declaration of Independence , mentor of Thomas Jefferson , and judge on Virginia's High Court of Chancery. Hampered by a crippled hand, Wythe chose Clay as his secretary and amanuensis , a role in which Clay would remain for four years. Clay began to read law under Wythe's mentorship. Wythe had
7938-463: The Whigs would win control of the presidency due to the ongoing economic crisis. Clay initially viewed Webster as his strongest rival, but Clay, Harrison, and General Winfield Scott emerged as the principal candidates at the 1839 Whig National Convention . Though he was widely regarded as the most qualified Whig leader to serve as president, many Whigs questioned Clay's electability after two presidential election defeats. He also faced opposition in
8064-748: The annexation of West Florida , which was controlled by Spain. On the insistence of the Kentucky legislature, Clay helped prevent the re-charter of the First Bank of the United States , arguing that it interfered with state banks and infringed on states' rights . After serving in the Senate for one year, Clay decided that he disliked the rules of the Senate and instead sought election to the United States House of Representatives . He won election unopposed in late 1810. The 1810–1811 elections produced many young, anti-British members of Congress who, like Clay, supported going to war with Great Britain. Buoyed by
8190-469: The annexation of the Republic of Texas his top issue. Clay strongly criticized the subsequent Mexican–American War and sought the Whig presidential nomination in 1848 but was passed over in favor of General Zachary Taylor who went on to win the election. After returning to the Senate in 1849, Clay played a key role in passing the Compromise of 1850 , which postponed a crisis over the status of slavery in
8316-478: The appellation of the "Great Compromiser" and was part of the " Great Triumvirate " of Congressmen, alongside fellow Whig Daniel Webster and Democrat John C. Calhoun . Clay died at the age of 75 in 1852. Clay was born in Virginia , in 1777, and began his legal career in Lexington, Kentucky , in 1797. As a member of the Democratic-Republican Party , Clay won election to the Kentucky state legislature in 1803 and to
8442-496: The backing of both manufacturers, who believed they would not receive a better deal, and Calhoun, who sought a way out of the crisis but refused to work with President Jackson's supporters on an alternative tariff bill. Though most members of Clay's own National Republican Party opposed it, the Tariff of 1833 passed both houses of Congress. Jackson simultaneously signed the tariff bill and the Force bill, and South Carolina leaders accepted
8568-418: The broadest appeal among voters. Clay's decision not to endorse Webster opened a rift between the two Whig party leaders, and Webster would work against Clay in future presidential elections. Despite the presence of multiple Whig candidates, Van Buren won the 1836 election with 50.8 percent of the popular vote and 170 of the 294 electoral votes. Van Buren's presidency was affected badly by the Panic of 1837 ,
8694-534: The campaign, Crawford suffered a major stroke, while Calhoun withdrew from the race after Jackson won the endorsement of the Pennsylvania legislature. By 1824, with Crawford still in the race, Clay concluded that no candidate would win a majority of electoral votes; in that scenario, the House of Representatives would hold a contingent election to decide the election. Under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment ,
8820-429: The clear leader of the Whig Party. In early 1842, Clay resigned from the Senate after arranging for Crittenden to succeed him. Though he vetoed other Whig bills, Tyler did sign some Whig priorities into law, including the Preemption Act of 1841 , which distributed the proceeds of land sales to the states, and the Bankruptcy Act of 1841, which was the first law in U.S. history that allowed for voluntary bankruptcy. Facing
8946-404: The controversy over Jackson's expedition temporarily subsided after the signing of the Adams–Onís Treaty , in which the U.S. purchased Florida and delineated its western boundary with New Spain . By 1822, several members of the Democratic-Republican Party had begun exploring presidential bids to succeed Monroe, who planned to retire after two terms like his predecessors. As the Federalist Party
9072-479: The convention. Seeking to placate Clay's supporters and to balance the ticket geographically, the convention chose former Virginia Governor and Senator John Tyler , a personal friend of Clay, whose previous career in the Democratic Party had practically come to an end, as the vice-presidential nominee. Clay was disappointed by the outcome but helped Harrison's ultimately successful campaign by delivering numerous speeches. With Whigs also winning control of Congress in
9198-414: The country needed "union, peace, and patience," and annexation would bring tensions over slavery and war with Mexico. The same day that Clay published a letter opposing the annexation of Texas, Van Buren also came out against annexation, citing similar reasons as Clay, so that slavery and especially expansionism seemed to play no role in the next election. Clay unanimously won the presidential nomination at
9324-434: The country's infrastructure system. He eagerly embraced President Madison's ambitious domestic package, which included infrastructure investment, tariffs to protect domestic manufacturing, and spending increases for the army and navy. With the help of John C. Calhoun and William Lowndes , Clay passed the Tariff of 1816 , which served the dual purpose of raising revenue and protecting American manufacturing. To stabilize
9450-526: The county has a total area of 256 square miles (660 km ), of which 253 square miles (660 km ) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km ) (1.0%) is water. Estill County is located at the contact of two Kentucky regions: the Bluegrass and the Cumberland plateau, because of this the county is known as the location where the "Bluegrass kisses the Mountains." Estill County contains two important rivers. With
9576-562: The county was 99.07% White , 0.11% Black or African American , 0.24% Native American , 0.03% Asian , 0.06% from other races , and 0.49% from two or more races. 0.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,108 households, out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who
9702-608: The county was historically known for the Estill Springs summer resort, situated near mineral springs in Irvine. This resort was a popular vacation site for many prominent Kentuckians in the 19th century, with men including Henry Clay , John Crittenden, and John C. Breckinridge vacationing there. The current courthouse, built in 1941, replaced a structure dating from the 1860s. According to the United States Census Bureau ,
9828-415: The county's topography is striking. The Pottsville Escarpment is prominent in the county, marking the divide between the Bluegrass and the mountains. Because of this topography total relief is nearly 1000 feet in the county, with the highest point being Zion Mountain, located about 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles southwest of Irvine at 1,511 feet, and the lowest point being the confluence of the Kentucky River and
9954-507: The currency, Clay and Treasury Secretary Alexander Dallas arranged passage of a bill establishing the Second Bank of the United States (also known as the national bank). Clay also supported the Bonus Bill of 1817 , which would have provided a fund for internal improvements, but Madison vetoed the bill on constitutional concerns. Beginning in 1818, Clay advocated for an economic plan known as
10080-492: The death of his daughter, Anne, Clay chose not to run in the 1836 presidential election , and the Whigs were too disorganized to nominate a single candidate. Three Whig candidates ran against Van Buren: General William Henry Harrison , Senator Hugh Lawson White , and Senator Daniel Webster. By running multiple candidates, the Whigs hoped to force a contingent election in the House of Representatives. Clay personally preferred Webster, but he threw his backing behind Harrison who had
10206-524: The direct election of public officials, but the state did not adopt Clay's plan for gradual emancipation. In 1803, Clay won election to the Kentucky House of Representatives . His first legislative initiative was the partisan gerrymander of Kentucky's Electoral College districts, which ensured that all of Kentucky's presidential electors voted for President Jefferson in the 1804 presidential election . Clay clashed with legislators who sought to reduce
10332-521: The end of Reconstruction – since 1888 the county has voted Democratic only for Woodrow Wilson in 1912, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and Lyndon Johnson in 1964, with the biggest of these three victories in 1932 being FDR's by a mere one hundred and eighty-seven votes out of over six thousand one hundred. 37°41′N 83°58′W / 37.69°N 83.96°W / 37.69; -83.96 Henry Clay [REDACTED] Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777 – June 29, 1852)
10458-568: The family to Kentucky, joining his brother in the pursuit of fertile new lands in the West. However, Clay did not follow, as Watkins secured his temporary employment in a Richmond emporium, with the promise that Clay would receive the next available clerkship at the Virginia Court of Chancery . After Clay had worked at the Richmond emporium for a year, he obtained a clerkship that had become available at
10584-541: The first governor of Kentucky . Henry and Lucretia would remain married until his death in 1852; she lived until 1864, dying at the age of 83. Both are buried at Lexington Cemetery . Clay and Lucretia had eleven children (six daughters and five sons): Henrietta (born in 1800), Theodore (1802), Thomas (1803), Susan (1805), Anne (1807), Lucretia (1809), Henry Jr. (1811), Eliza (1813), Laura (1815), James (1817), and John (1821). By 1835, all six daughters had died of varying causes, two when very young, two as children, and
10710-480: The fledgling Anti-Masonic Party , and his attempt to convince Calhoun to serve as his running mate failed, leaving the opposition to Jackson split among different factions. Inspired by the Anti-Masonic Party's national convention, Clay's National Republican followers arranged for a national convention that nominated Clay for president. As the 1832 election approached, the debate over the re-authorization of
10836-544: The furnace is the largest charcoal furnace in the world, and one of the largest 25 dry-stone masonry structures in the world. The iron industry declined after the Civil War when iron deposits and timber to fire the furnaces were depleted, and innovation made charcoal furnaces obsolete. During the Civil War Estill County was strongly pro-union, similar to surrounding counties, especially to the southeast. Additionally,
10962-456: The general election. Monroe offered Clay the position of secretary of war, but Clay strongly desired the office of secretary of state and was angered when Monroe instead chose John Quincy Adams for that position. Clay became so bitter that he refused to allow Monroe's inauguration to take place in the House Chamber and subsequently did not attend Monroe's outdoor inauguration. In early 1819,
11088-503: The industry declined due to the obsolescence of the process, the start of iron production around the Great Lakes, and the depletion of ore and timber. The town of Fitchburg sprang up when the furnace was built; with a thriving community existing for the years of the furnace's operation. Today nothing remains to indicate the town of Fitchburg ever existed. Originally the furnace consisted of several connecting structures, however, today only
11214-446: The invalid Crawford and Jackson, but supporters of the three remaining presidential candidates immediately began courting his support for the contingent election. For various reasons, supporters of all three candidates believed they had the best chance of winning Clay's backing, but Clay quickly settled on supporting Adams. Of the three candidates, Adams was the most sympathetic to Clay's American System, and Clay viewed both Jackson and
11340-504: The last two as young mothers. Henry Jr. was killed while commanding a regiment at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War . Clay's oldest son, Theodore Wythe Clay, spent the second half of his life confined to a psychiatric hospital . When a young child, Theodore was injured by a blow to his head that fractured his skull. As he grew older his condition devolved into insanity, and from 1831 until his death in 1870 he
11466-534: The national bank emerged as the most important issue in the campaign. By the early 1830s, the national bank had become the largest corporation in the United States, and banknotes issued by the national bank served as the de facto legal tender of the United States. Jackson disliked the national bank because of a hatred of both banks and paper currency. The bank's charter did not expire until 1836, but bank president Nicholas Biddle asked for renewal in 1831, hoping that election year pressure and support from Secretary of
11592-424: The national bank's federal charter expired in 1836, and though the institution continued to function under a Pennsylvania charter, it never regained the influence it had had at the beginning of Jackson's administration. The removal of deposits helped unite Jackson's opponents into one party for the first time, as National Republicans, Calhounites, former Democrats, and members of the Anti-Masonic Party coalesced into
11718-558: The new tariff, effectively bringing the crisis to an end. Clay's role in resolving the crisis brought him renewed national stature in the wake of a crushing presidential election defeat, and some began referring to him as the "Great Compromiser." Following the end of the Nullification Crisis in March 1833, Jackson renewed his offensive against the national bank, despite some opposition from within his own Cabinet. Jackson and Secretary of
11844-412: The opposing candidates. Adams' followers denounced Jackson as a demagogue , and some Adams-aligned papers accused Jackson's wife Rachel of bigamy . Though Clay was not directly involved in these attacks, his failure to denounce them earned him the lifelong enmity of Jackson. Clay was one of Adams's most important political advisers, but because of his myriad responsibilities as secretary of state, he
11970-403: The peace treaty, Clay believed that the British, worn down by years of fighting against France, greatly desired peace with the United States. Partly due to Clay's hard-line stance, the Treaty of Ghent included relatively favorable terms for the United States, essentially re-establishing the status quo ante bellum between Britain and the U.S. The treaty was signed on December 24, 1814, bringing
12096-476: The power of Clay's Bluegrass region, and he unsuccessfully advocated moving the state capitol from Frankfort to Lexington. Clay frequently opposed populist firebrand Felix Grundy , and he helped defeat Grundy's effort to revoke the banking privileges of the state-owned Kentucky Insurance Company. He advocated for the construction of internal improvements , which would become a consistent theme throughout his public career. Clay's influence in Kentucky state politics
12222-446: The presidency. Though many, including Clay, did not take his candidacy seriously at first, General Andrew Jackson emerged as a presidential contender, eroding Clay's base of support in the western states. In February 1824, the sparsely attended Democratic-Republican congressional caucus endorsed Crawford's candidacy, but Crawford's rivals ignored the caucus results, and various state legislatures nominated candidates for president. During
12348-469: The prestigious position of secretary of state; as a result, critics alleged that the two had agreed to a " corrupt bargain ". Despite receiving support from Clay and other National Republicans, Adams was defeated by Democrat Andrew Jackson in the 1828 presidential election . Clay won election to the Senate in 1831 and ran as the National Republican nominee in the 1832 presidential election, but he
12474-417: The race may have cost Clay the election. Most of Clay's contemporaries believed that annexation had been the decisive issue in the race, but Polk's savvy campaigning on the tariff may have also been decisive, as he narrowly won pro-tariff Pennsylvania after downplaying his anti-tariff views. After Polk's victory and the final indirect success of Tyler's strategy, Congress approved the annexation of Texas, which
12600-504: The remainder of the debt. Shortly afterward, Clay fell into a debt of $ 60,000 (approximately $ 1.5 million today ) while gambling with the same man, who then asked for the $ 500 back and waived the rest of the debt. They initially lived in Lexington, but in 1804 they began building a plantation outside of Lexington known as Ashland . The Ashland estate eventually encompassed over 500 acres (200 ha), with numerous outbuildings such as
12726-503: The sale of alcohol after the October 9, 2013, vote, but not the rest of Estill County outside the Irvine city limits. Estill County has two adjacent towns, known as the twin cities, Irvine and Ravenna . Both cities sit along the Kentucky River in the central part of the county. Ravenna is home to a former CSX Transportation facility, now owned by Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation for the restoration of Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 . It conducts
12852-536: The second veto, congressional Whigs voted to expel Tyler from the party, and on Clay's request, every Cabinet member except for Webster, who wanted to continue negotiating the Webster-Ashburton Treaty with Great Britain about the border to Canada, resigned from office. This made Tyler increasingly move closer to his former Democratic Party and, with Webster still serving in the Tyler administration, Clay emerged as
12978-492: The sickly Crawford as unsuitable for the presidency. On January 9, 1825, Clay privately met with Adams for three hours, after which Clay promised Adams his support; both would later claim that they did not discuss Clay's position in an Adams administration. With the help of Clay, Adams won the House vote on the first ballot. After his election, Adams offered Clay the position of secretary of state, which Clay accepted, despite fears that he would be accused of trading his support for
13104-633: The stone core remains. This structure suffered years of neglect, with numerous stones falling out, one front corner being blasted out with dynamite, and trees are growing on the top. However, since 2004 much of these damages have been repaired, and the furnace has been maintained by the US Forest Service and private donors. Today Fitchburg Furnace is accessible as a historic site in the Daniel Boone National Forest outside of Ravenna , KY. Estill County, Kentucky Estill County
13230-419: The support of fellow war hawks , Clay was elected Speaker of the House for the 12th Congress . At 34, he was the youngest person to become speaker, a distinction he held until 1839, when 30-year-old Robert M. T. Hunter took office. He was also the first of only two new members elected speaker to date, the other being William Pennington in 1860. Between 1810 and 1824, Clay was elected to seven terms in
13356-664: The territories. Clay was one of the most important and influential political figures of his era. Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, at the Clay homestead in Hanover County, Virginia . He was the seventh of nine children born to the Reverend John Clay and Elizabeth (née Hudson) Clay. Almost all of Henry's older siblings died before adulthood. His father, a Baptist minister nicknamed "Sir John", died in 1781, leaving Henry and his brothers two slaves each; he also left his wife 18 slaves and 464 acres (188 ha) of land. Clay
13482-418: The top three electoral vote-getters would be eligible to be elected by the House. Clay was confident that he would prevail in a contingent held in the chamber he presided over, so long as he was eligible for election. Clay won Kentucky, Ohio, and Missouri, but his loss in New York and Louisiana relegated him to a fourth-place finish behind Adams, Jackson, and Crawford. Clay was humiliated that he finished behind
13608-468: The war, but privately he saw it as an immoral war that risked producing "some military chieftain who will conquer us all." He suffered a personal blow in 1847 when his son, Henry Clay Jr., died at the Battle of Buena Vista . In November 1847, Clay re-emerged on the political scene with a speech that was harshly critical of the Mexican–American War and President Polk. He attacked Polk for fomenting
13734-562: The wives of his Cabinet members. Clay strongly opposed the 1830 Indian Removal Act , which authorized the administration to relocate Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi River . Another key point of contention between Clay and Jackson was the proposed Maysville Road , which would connect Maysville, Kentucky , to the National Road in Zanesville, Ohio ; transportation advocates hoped that later extensions would eventually connect
13860-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males. The median income for
13986-475: Was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives . He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state . He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1824 , 1832 , and 1844 elections. He helped found both the National Republican Party and the Whig Party . For his role in defusing sectional crises, he earned
14112-516: Was an established town that hosted Transylvania University , the first university west of the Appalachian Mountains . Having already passed the Virginia Bar, Clay quickly received a Kentucky license to practice law. After apprenticing himself to Kentucky attorneys such as George Nicholas , John Breckenridge , and James Brown, Clay established his own law practice, frequently working on debt collections and land disputes. Clay soon established
14238-508: Was chosen as Attorney General. As Harrison prepared to take office, Clay and Harrison clashed over the leadership of the Whig Party, with Harrison sensitive to accusations that he would answer to Clay. Just a month into his presidency, Harrison died of an illness and was succeeded by Vice President John Tyler. Tyler retained Harrison's Cabinet, but the former Democrat and avid follower of both Jefferson's and Jackson's philosophy quickly made it known that he had reservations about re-establishing
14364-671: Was confined to an asylum in Lexington . Thomas (who had served some jail time in Philadelphia in 1829–1830) became a successful farmer, James established a legal practice (and later served in Congress), and John (who in his mid-20s was also confined to the asylum for a short time) became a successful horse breeder. Clay was greatly interested in gambling, although he favored numerous restrictions and legal limitations on it. Famously, he once won $ 40,000 (approximately $ 970,000 as of 2020). Clay asked for $ 500 (approximately $ 12,000 today) and waived
14490-401: Was defeated decisively by President Jackson. After the 1832 election, Clay helped bring an end to the nullification crisis by leading passage of the Tariff of 1833 . During Jackson's second term, opponents of the president including Clay, Webster, and William Henry Harrison created the Whig Party, and through the years, Clay became a leading congressional Whig. Clay sought the presidency in
14616-471: Was especially distressed by Jackson's victory in Kentucky. The election result represented not only the victory of a man Clay viewed as unqualified and unprincipled but also a rejection of Clay's domestic policies. Even with Clay out of office, President Jackson continued to see Clay as one of his major rivals, and Jackson at one point suspected Clay of being behind the Petticoat affair , a controversy involving
14742-480: Was exceptional in his ability to control the legislative agenda through well-placed allies and the establishment of new committees and departed from precedent by frequently taking part in floor debates. Yet he also gained a reputation for personal courteousness and fairness in his rulings and committee appointments. Clay's drive to increase the power of the office of speaker was aided by President James Madison , who deferred to Congress in most matters. John Randolph ,
14868-461: Was following Monroe's implied wishes in entering Florida, he created additional controversy in seizing the Spanish town of Pensacola . Despite protests from Secretary of War Calhoun, Monroe and Adams decided to support Jackson's actions in the hope that they would convince Spain to sell Florida. Clay, however, was outraged, and he publicly condemned Jackson's decision to hang two foreign nationals without
14994-411: Was going to run for re-election, ensuring that support or opposition to his presidency would be a central feature of the upcoming race. Jackson's Democrats rallied around his policies towards the national bank, internal improvements, Indian removal , and nullification , but these policies also earned Jackson various enemies, including Vice President John C. Calhoun. However, Clay rejected overtures from
15120-457: Was more akin to the eastern Pennyroyal Plateau to its southwest in being strongly pro- Union during the Civil War . Indeed, a larger proportion of Estill County's population volunteered for the Union Army than the population of any free state , or of any Kentucky county except the famous Republican bastion of Owsley County . Consequently, Estill County has been strongly Republican ever since
15246-640: Was near collapse, the 1824 presidential election would be contested only by members of the Democratic-Republican Party, including Clay. Having led the passage of the Tariff of 1824 and the General Survey Act , Clay campaigned on his American System of high tariffs and federal spending on infrastructure. Three members of Monroe's Cabinet, Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, and Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, appeared to be Clay's strongest competitors for
15372-508: Was of entirely English descent; his ancestor, John Clay, settled in Virginia in 1613. The Clay family became a well-known political family including three other US senators, numerous state politicians, and Clay's cousin Cassius Clay , a prominent anti-slavery activist active in the mid-19th century. The British raided Clay's home shortly after the death of his father, leaving the family in
15498-427: Was often unable to take part in campaigning. As Adams was averse to the use of patronage for political purposes, Jackson's campaign enjoyed a marked advantage in organization, and Adams' allies such as Clay and Daniel Webster were unable to create an equally powerful organization headed by the president. In the 1828 election, Jackson took 56% of the popular vote and won almost every state outside of New England ; Clay
15624-575: Was rebuffed in his efforts to reach a commercial treaty and a settlement of the Canada–United States border with Britain, and was also unsuccessful in his attempts to make the French pay for damages arising from attacks on American shipping during the Napoleonic Wars . He had more success in negotiating commercial treaties with Latin American republics, reaching " most favoured nation " trade agreements in an attempt to ensure that no European country had
15750-443: Was signed by Tyler on his last day in office, and Texas gained statehood in late 1845. After the 1844 election, Clay returned to his career as an attorney. Though he was no longer a member of Congress, he remained closely interested in national politics. In 1846, the Mexican–American War broke out after American and Mexican forces clashed at the disputed border region between Mexico and Texas. Initially, Clay did not publicly oppose
15876-656: Was such that in 1806 the Kentucky legislature elected him to the United States Senate . During his two-month tenure in the Senate, Clay advocated for the construction of various bridges and canals, including a canal connecting the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River . After Clay returned to Kentucky in 1807, he was elected as the speaker of the state house of representatives. That same year, in response to attacks on American shipping by Britain and France during
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