The Family Legacy of Henry Clay: In the Shadow of a Kentucky Patriarch [SIGNED FIRST EDITION]

Apple, LIndsey

Verlag: The University Press of Kentucky, 2011

Beschreibung

As new condition gray cloth boards with gold spine lettering contained in an as new condition illustrated dust jacket. Includes List of Other Books in the Series, Topics in Kentucky History; Author Dedication; List of Illustrations; Cast of Characters; Clay Family Trees; Acknowledgments; Notes; Bibliography; and Index. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Signed and inscribed by the author with black pen on the full title page. "Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, made an indelible mark on American politics at a time when the country's solidarity was threatened by tensions over slavery and the possiblity of civil war. Clay's successful political career, however, meant an early and bitter introduction to fame for his children, and his celebrity exacerbated the great misfortunes of the Clay family. In The Family Legacy of Henry Clay: In the Shadow of a Kentucky Patriarch, LIndsey Apple considers Clay's impact on his children and grandchildren as well as the family's successive generations. Apple delves into the family's history, chronicling their struggles and failures as well as their triumphs. Historians and biographers had long suggested that Clay's family life contributed significantly to his failure to win the presidency, and Apple investigates both how Henry Clay's career affected his family and how his family affected his career. The Clays faced high expectations to succeed in their careers and personal lives, and because of Henry Clay's loyalty to and love of the Union, many of his descendants were drawn to public service. After the Civil War, the Clay name conferred both a blessing and a social obligation on family members, motivating their actions to a large degree. Although they avoided politics, perhaps afraid to fall short of their father's long shadow, the Clays inherited a civic spirit. A descendant of Henry Clay has served in every America war from the Mexican War through Vietnam. The Clay family supported the women's suffrage movement and progressive reform in Kentucky and the nation. They led in the thoroughbred and trotting horse industries, in banking, and in education. Lawyers and journalists, politicians and professors, physicians and soldiers, and even a priest and a ballerina, the Clays brought the genius of Henry Clay back to the state and nation. At the same time, however, they faced generations of mental and physical illnesses, gambling addiction, alcoholism, mania, and depression. Their intelligence and energy made them leading contributors to society, but they sometimes crossed a line into reckless behavior and bad decision making. Despite their illnesses, tragedies, and black sheep, the Clays reflect the resiliency of the American family through years of successes, failures, and political upheaval. The Clays were men and women who contributed wholeheartedly to their communities, their professions, and their nation. They rarely gave up on their ambitions. The Family Legacy of Henry Clay enhances our understanding of Henry Clay and tells the story of an extraordinary American family making its way through history." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 005179

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The Family Legacy of Henry Clay: In the ...

Verlag: The University Press of Kentucky

Erscheinungsdatum: 2011

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: As New

Zustand des Schutzumschlags: As New

Signiert: Signed by Author(s)

Auflage: 1st Edition