Clay, Cassius Marcellus

born Oct. 19, 1810, Madison county, Ky., U.S.

died July 22, 1903, Whitehall, Ky.

U.S. abolitionist and politician.

The son of a slaveholder and a relative of Henry Clay, he was strongly influenced by the abolitionist ideas of William Lloyd Garrison. In 1845 he founded the antislavery publication True American in Lexington, Ky., but he was forced by opponents to move it to Cincinnati, Ohio, and then to Louisville, Ky., where it was renamed The Examiner. He helped found the Republican Party in 1854. As U.S. minister to Russia (1861–62, 1863–69), he helped negotiate the Alaska Purchase.

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▪ American journalist and politician

born October 19, 1810, Madison county, Kentucky, U.S.

died July 22, 1903, Whitehall, Kentucky

 American antislavery leader who served the abolition movement (abolitionism) in spite of his Southern background.

      Although he was the son of a slaveholder and a relative of the Kentucky senator Henry Clay, who—true to his byname (the Great Compromiser)—favoured only gradual emancipation, Cassius Clay was deeply influenced by the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison (Garrison, William Lloyd) while he was still in college. He entered the Kentucky legislature (1835) but was defeated in 1840 on the slavery issue. He established an antislavery publication, the True American, in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1845 but was forced by attacks from proslavery Kentuckians to move it to Cincinnati, Ohio, and then to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was renamed The Examiner. Clay was one of the founders of the Republican Party in 1854. He served as U.S. minister to Russia (1861–62 and 1863–69) and helped negotiate the purchase of Alaska (1867). He left the Republican Party in order to support Horace Greeley (Greeley, Horace) in the presidential election of 1872 but supported Republican James G. Blaine (Blaine, James G.) as presidential candidate in 1884. Clay was adjudged insane shortly before his death.

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