Secretary of State HENRY CLAY Great Compromiser ~ 1877 Art Print Engraving RARE

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Secretary of State HENRY CLAY Great Compromiser ~ 1877 Art Print Engraving RARE:
$24.99

HENRY CLAY

Artist: unknown _________________ Engraver: unknown

IMAGE IS MUCH SHARPER AND CLEARER THAN SCAN SHOWS !!

A HIGH QUALITY STEEL ENGRAVING BOOKPLATE FROM THE 1880\'S!!

PERFECT FOR FRAMING AS AN ART PRINT FOR YOUR DEN !!

VERY ANTIQUE & OLD WORLD LOOKING. ITEM(s) OVER 115 YEARS OLD!!

ON the 12th of April, 1777, less than a year after the Declaration of Independence, there was born, in an humble home in Hanover County, Virginia, a boy whose destiny it was not only to render invaluable service to his country, but to become one of the most famous of the \"famous men\" whose very names are loved and honored by the nation. The \" Mill-boy of the Slashes,\" so-called from the numerous slashes, or swamps, in the neighborhood, was the fifth child in a family of seven. His father, a Baptist minister of limited means, died when Henry was five years old, leaving him to the care of his mother. His education was derived at a rude log-cabin school-house, where the simplest rudiments were taught by very indifferent teachers. He early began to support himself, and the remarkable powers of his intellect which afterwards distinguished him, began to develop. He has said,\" I owe my success in life to one single fact, namely, that at an early age I commenced, and continued for some years, the practice of daily reading and speaking the contents of some historical or scientific book. These off-hand efforts were sometimes made in a cornfield; at others, in a forest; and not unfrequently in some distant barn, with the horse and ox for my only auditors. It is to this that I am indebted for the impulses that have shaped and moulded my entire destiny.\" Choosing the law for his profession, his earnest perseverance, with the aid of his retentive memory, overcame many difficulties in his course of studies, and when but twenty years old he was admitted to the bar. About this time the population of the Western States was steadily increasing, and Henry Clay, starting out to seek his fortune, turned his footsteps towards Kentucky. Settling at Lexington, then a small place, he commenced the practice of law, and soon became deeply interested in politics. From this time his rise was rapid. He not only acquired an extensive practice and an enviable reputation as an able lawyer in that State, but his great genius began to attract the attention of the whole nation. In 1803 he was elected to the Kentucky Legislature, where he discharged his duties so well, that in 1806 that body chose him to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. On his return, he was again elected to the Kentucky Legislature, and was chosen Speaker of the Assembly by a large majority. In 1809 he was again sent to the United States Senate to fill a vacancy. At the end of the term for which he was chosen, he was elected to the House of Representatives. Filling first one important public office, and then another, he continued a faithful, zealous worker on the behalf of his country for many years. During President Monroe\'s administration the Missouri Compromise, advocated by Mr. Clay, put an end to the violent discussion as to whether the State should be admitted into the Union as free or slave. In 1833, when South Carolina passed a nullification ordinance and threatened to secede if force should be employed to collect any revenue, his celebrated \" Compromise Bill was adopted by the Senate. This, offering a gradual reduction of the tariff, was accepted by both sides. Alexander H. Stephens says: \"To do this, Clay had to break with his old political friends, while he was offering up the darling system of his heart on the altar of his country. So one can deny that he was a patriot—every inch of him. When he was importuned not to take the course he did, and assured that it would lessen his chances for the Presidency, he nobly replied, \' I would rather be right than president \'— a sentiment worthy to be the motto of every young patriot in our land.\" Though he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency, his fame remained far above any distinction which mere office can bestow. He died at Washington, D. C. on the 29th of June, 1852. Mr. Clay was a tall, distinguished-looking man, with peculiarly winning manners. It is said that an eminent political antagonist once declined an introduction to him on the ground of a determination not to be magnetized by personal contact, as he \"had known other good haters \" of Clay to be. One of his most noticeable characteristics was his inflexible honor. John C. Breckinridge said, in an oration pronounced at his death: \"If were to write his epitaph, I would inscribe, as the highest eulogy, on the stone which shall mark his resting-place: \'Here lies a man who was in the public service for fifty years, and never attempted to deceive his countrymen.\"

SIZE: Image size in inches is 5 1/2\" x 7\", overall page size is 6 1/2 \" x 9 1/2\".

CONDITION: Condition is good. Light age toning. Nothing on reverse.

SHIPPING: Buyers to pay shipping/handling, domestic orders receives priority mail, international orders receive regular mail.

We pack properly to protect your item!

An engraving is an intaglio process of printing, with the design to be produced is cut below the surface of the plate (made of copper, steel or wood), and the incised lines are filled with ink that is then transferred to paper. The portraits on our currency are good examples of engraved images. A Photogravure is an intaglio process in which the plate is produced photographically. Please note: the terms used in our sales for engraving, heliogravure, lithograph, line drawing, photogravure etc. are ALL images on paper.

THIS IS AN ACTUAL STEEL ENGRAVING FROM THE 1870\'s!

NOT A REPRODUCTION!