Clement Claiborne Clay
Encyclopedia
Clement Claiborne Clay was a U.S. senator
(Democrat) from the state
of Alabama
from 1853 to 1861, and a C.S.A. senator from the Alabama
from 1861 to 1863. His portrait appears on the Confederate one-dollar note (4th issue and later).
, a former senator and governor of Alabama, and was a third cousin of Henry Clay
. In 1843 he was married to Virginia Tunstall, who later was known as Virginia Clay-Clopton
.
Clay attended the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and graduated in 1834. He obtained a law degree from the University of Virginia
in 1839 and was admitted to the bar in Alabama in 1840. He was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1842, 1844, and 1845. He then became a county judge in Madison County, Alabama
and served from 1848 to 1850. He then ran for a seat in the United States Congress
in 1850, but was not elected.
He was elected to serve in the United States Senate
in a term beginning March 4, 1853, but the legislature failed to elect someone in time to fill it, so that he served from November 29, 1853 to January 21, 1861. He withdrew from the senate as Alabama
seceded from the Union
.
He was subsequently elected Senator in the First Confederate Congress
and served from 1862 until 1864.
Clement Clay and Jacob Thompson
were head of the Confederate secret agents. One of the people who worked for them was John Wilkes Booth
, President Abraham Lincoln
's assassin. Due to suspicions that he was involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he and his wife
were imprisoned in Fortress Monroe in 1865, where they stayed for about a year.
Clement Clay died in Madison County
and is interred at Maple Hill Cemetery
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
(Democrat) from the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
from 1853 to 1861, and a C.S.A. senator from the Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
from 1861 to 1863. His portrait appears on the Confederate one-dollar note (4th issue and later).
Biography
Clay was born with a strong political pedigree; he was the oldest son of Clement Comer ClayClement Comer Clay
Clement Comer Clay was the eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1835 to 1837.Clay was born in Halifax County, Virginia. His father, William Clay, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who moved to Grainger County, Tennessee, after the war. Clay attended public schools and...
, a former senator and governor of Alabama, and was a third cousin of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
. In 1843 he was married to Virginia Tunstall, who later was known as Virginia Clay-Clopton
Virginia Clay-Clopton
Virginia Clay-Clopton was an American memoirist and political hostess. She was also known as Virginia Tunstall, Virginia Clay, and Mrs. Clement Claiborne Clay.-Biography:...
.
Clay attended the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and graduated in 1834. He obtained a law degree from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1839 and was admitted to the bar in Alabama in 1840. He was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1842, 1844, and 1845. He then became a county judge in Madison County, Alabama
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
and served from 1848 to 1850. He then ran for a seat in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1850, but was not elected.
He was elected to serve in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in a term beginning March 4, 1853, but the legislature failed to elect someone in time to fill it, so that he served from November 29, 1853 to January 21, 1861. He withdrew from the senate as Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
seceded from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
.
He was subsequently elected Senator in the First Confederate Congress
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and served from 1862 until 1864.
Clement Clay and Jacob Thompson
Jacob Thompson
Jacob Thompson was a lawyer and politician who served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1857 to 1861.-Biography:...
were head of the Confederate secret agents. One of the people who worked for them was John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's assassin. Due to suspicions that he was involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he and his wife
Virginia Clay-Clopton
Virginia Clay-Clopton was an American memoirist and political hostess. She was also known as Virginia Tunstall, Virginia Clay, and Mrs. Clement Claiborne Clay.-Biography:...
were imprisoned in Fortress Monroe in 1865, where they stayed for about a year.
Clement Clay died in Madison County
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
and is interred at Maple Hill Cemetery
Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)
Maple Hill Cemetery is the oldest and largest cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama. Founded on two acres in about the year 1822, it now encompasses nearly 100 acres and contains over 80,000 burials...
.