Henry Clay the Election of 1844
Abstract
While electioneering in the 1824 campaign, Henry Clay accepted and welcomed the aid of friends and was quite active in encouraging and directing their zeal, although he rigidly kept clear of promises and bargains. In a letter to Francis Brooke, one of his first preceptors in law, on January 31, 1823, he stated that on one resolution his friends may rest assured and on which he would firmly rely, and that was, to participate in no intrigues, to enter into no arrangements, to make no promises or pledges; but that, whether he was elected or not, he would have nothing with which to reproach himself. If elected he would go into office with a pure conscience, and would promote with his utmost exertions the common good of his country. If not elected, acquiescing most cheerfully in the better selection which would thus have been made, he would at least have the satisfaction of preserving his honor unsullied and his heart uncorrupted.
Subject Area
American history|Public administration|Political science
Recommended Citation
Cruger, Benedict Henry, "Henry Clay the Election of 1844" (1944). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI28443145.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI28443145
