They had seven children of their own: Elisha Warfield, son Green, Mary Barr, Sally, Laura, Brutus J., II, and Anne, and adopted Henry Launey Clay (believed to be his son by an extra-marital relationship while in Russia).Ĭassius Clay was a pioneer as an early southern planter who became a prominent anti-slavery crusader. In 1833, Clay married Mary Jane Warfield, daughter of Dr. Garrison's arguments were to him 'as water is to a thirsty wayfarer.' Clay was politically pragmatic, supporting gradual legal change rather than calling for immediate abolition the way Garrison and his supporters did. While at Yale, he heard abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison speak, and his lecture inspired Clay to join the anti-slavery movement. The younger Clay attended Transylvania University and then graduated from Yale College in 1832. Their son, Green Clay Smith, became a state politician and was elected to Congress. Cassius' sister Elizabeth Lewis Clay (1798-1887) married John Speed Smith, who also became a state and US politician. They were cousins of both Kentucky politician Henry Clay and Alabama governor Clement Comer Clay. Clay became a politician at the state and federal levels. He was one of six children who survived to adulthood, of seven born.Ĭlay was a member of a large and influential political family. He was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as the American minister to Russia during the American Civil War, and is credited with gaining Russian support for the Union.Ĭassius 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. Lawyer, politician, newspaper publisher, soldier, farmerĬassius Marcellus Clay (Octo– July 22, 1903), nicknamed The Lion of White Hall, was a Kentucky planter and politician who worked for abolition of slavery. Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives For the boxer's father, see Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr. For the boxer born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., see Muhammad Ali. This article is about the 19th-century abolitionist and politician.

Cassius marcellus clay sr