Section #1 - The Congressmen Who Built Then Broke The Union
Chapter 19: Congressional Profile: 1797-1815
The roll-call of Congressional leaders between 1797 (Congress #5) and 1815 (Congress #14) includes three men who will earn the title of the “The Great Triumphrate” for their impact on Washington over the next four decades.
The first is Henry Clay, born in Virginia and with little education until landing a fortuitous clerkship with Judge George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. He passes the Virginia bar in 1797, marries into a well-connected family, enters the state legislature in 1803, and is appointed to complete a two-month term as a U.S. Senator in 1806 at age twenty-nine. He moves to the House later in 1811 and is immediately elected Speaker, where he rallies both chambers to support the War of 1812 against Britain. Clay builds America’s economic infrastructure, founds his own political party, the Whigs, and runs for president on three occasions. But perhaps his greatest contribution lies in a unique capacity to negotiate compromises amidst political crises. Clay stands as the voice of the West and a bridge between the South and the East, and between slave-holders like himself and those who oppose the practice. Abraham Lincoln regards Clay as his political mentor.
Standing alongside Clay is John C. Calhoun, raised on the western edge of South Carolina. He enrolls at Yale University, then studies law under Judge Tapping Reeve. He passes the bar and in 1811 he marries Floride Colhoun, replete with wealth and a father in the U.S. Congress whose departure opens the door for his first seat in the U.S. House. Once there he becomes a “warhawk” alongside Henry Clay and supports a U.S. Bank needed to properly finance the conflict. In 1817 President James Monroe names him Secretary of War, a post he holds for eight years.
The voice of the East belongs to the third member of the triumphrate, Daniel Webster. He is born in New Hampshire on a small farm, is sickly as a youth and graduates from Exeter Academy and in 1801 from Dartmouth College. He is admitted to the bar in 1805 opens his own practice which thrives and in 1813 elected to the U.S. House as a Federalist. Unlike Clay and Calhoun, Webster opposes the War of 1812 fearing its negative effects, especially on manufacturers throughout New England.
The congressional career of all three men are marked by unusual longevity, with Clay serving 28 years (10 in the House and 18 in the Senate), Webster at 27 years (split 9 and 18) and Calhoun with 22 years (6/16).
Several others newcomers will also become fixtures in congress. William King of Alabama serves a total of 34 years after first entering the House in 1811 at age twenty-four. He will be elected Vice-President alongside Pierce in 1853, although he dies suddenly only six weeks after being sworn in. Richard M. Johnson becomes Vice-President under Van Buren in 1837 after representing Kentucky for 30 years across the two chambers. John Randolph of Roanoke enters the House in 1799 at age twenty-five and logs 30 years in total.
DeWitt Clinton completes one term in the House before going on to run for the presidency in 1812, serve as Mayor of NYC and Governor of New York and make the Erie Canal into a reality.
Ohio’s John McLean’s tenure in the House is brief, but he will influence national politics and serve on the Supreme Court, notably dissenting in the Dred Scott ruling.
Out of the partial roll-call listed below, nine congressmen will also serve as Governor of their home state, eight will hold Cabinet-level appointments, another eight will be posted abroad as Ministers, three will be elected Vice-President, and two will join the Supreme Court.
See Appendix for more details.