Cassius Clay (1810–1903)
| Cassius Marcellus Clay | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to Russia | |
|
In office May 7, 1863 – October 1, 1869 |
|
| President |
Abraham Lincoln (1863–1865) Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) Ulysses S. Grant (1869) |
| Preceded by | Simon Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Andrew G. Curtin |
|
In office July 14, 1861 – June 25, 1862 |
|
| President | Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | John Appleton |
| Succeeded by | Simon Cameron |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1835–1841 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 19, 1810 Madison County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1903 (aged 92) Madison County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party |
Republican (1854–70; 84–1903) Liberal Republican (1870–72) Democratic (1872–84) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Jane Warfield (1833–1878, divorced) Dora Richardson (1894–1897, divorced) |
| Children | Elisha Warfield Clay Green Clay Mary Barr Clay Sally Clay Laura Clay Brutus J. Clay II Anne Clay Henry Launey Clay (adopted) |
| Alma mater |
Transylvania University Yale College |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician, newspaper publisher, soldier, farmer |
| Known for | Southern abolitionist and U.S. ambassador to Russia |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | 1st Kentucky Cavalry |
| Years of service | 1846–1847 1861–1863 |
| Rank |
 Captain Major general
|
| Battles/wars |
Mexican-American War American Civil War |
Cassius Marcellus Clay /ˈkæʃəs ˌmɑːrˈsɛləs/ (October 19, 1810 – July 22, 1903), nicknamed the "Lion of White Hall", was a Kentucky planter and politician who worked for the abolition of slavery. He was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as the United States minister to Russia during the American Civil War, and is credited with gaining Russian support for the Union.
Cassius Marcellus Clay was born to Green Clay, one of the wealthiest planters and slaveholders in Kentucky, who became a prominent politician, and his wife Sally Lewis. He was one of six children who survived to adulthood, of seven born.
Clay was a member of a large and influential political family. His older brother Brutus J. Clay became a politician at the state and federal levels. They were cousins of both Kentucky politician Henry Clay and Alabama governor Clement Comer Clay. Cassius' sister Elizabeth Lewis Clay (1798–1887) married John Speed Smith, who also became a state and US politician. Their son, Green Clay Smith, became a state politician and was elected to Congress.
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