Editing Henry Clay (section)

==Early life==
Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, at the Clay homestead in [[Hanover County, Virginia]].{{sfn|Eaton|1957|p=5}} He was the seventh of nine children born to the Reverend John Clay and Elizabeth (née Hudson) Clay.{{sfn|Van Deusen|1937|p=4}} Almost all of Henry's older siblings died before adulthood.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Heider |first1=David S. & Jeanne T. |title=Henry Clay: the Essential American |pages=445–446}}</ref> His father, a [[Baptists|Baptist]] minister nicknamed "Sir John", died in 1781, leaving Henry and his brothers two enslaved individuals each; he also left his wife 18 slaves and {{convert|464|acre|ha}} of land.{{sfn|Eaton|1957|pp=6–7}} Clay was of entirely [[English Americans|English]] descent;{{sfn|Remini|1991|pp=xxiv, 4}} his ancestor, John Clay, settled in Virginia in 1613.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=4–5}} The [[Clay family]] became a well-known political family including three other US senators, numerous state politicians, and Clay's cousin [[Cassius Marcellus Clay (politician)|Cassius Clay]], a prominent anti-slavery activist active in the mid-19th century.{{sfn|Klotter|2018|p=309}}

The British raided Clay's home shortly after the death of his father, leaving the family in a precarious economic position.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=9–10}} However, the widow Elizabeth Clay married Captain Henry Watkins, a successful [[Planter class|planter]] and cousin to John Clay.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=11–13}} Elizabeth would have seven more children with Watkins, bearing a total of sixteen children.{{sfn|Eaton|1957|p=6}}  Watkins became a kind and supportive stepfather and Clay had a very good relationship with him.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/henryclayartof00eato | title=Henry Clay and the art of American politics | date=January 5, 2024 | publisher=Boston, Little, Brown }}</ref> After his mother's remarriage, the young Clay remained in Hanover County, where he learned how to read and write.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=11–13}} In 1791, Watkins moved the family to Kentucky, joining his brother in the pursuit of fertile new lands in the West. However, Clay did not follow, as Watkins secured his temporary employment in a [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] emporium, with the promise that Clay would receive the next available clerkship at the [[Virginia Court of Chancery]].{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=13–15}}

After Clay had worked at the Richmond emporium for a year, he obtained a clerkship that had become available at the Virginia Court of Chancery. Clay adapted well to his new role, and his handwriting earned him the attention of [[College of William & Mary]] professor [[George Wythe]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], mentor of [[Thomas Jefferson]], and judge on Virginia's High Court of Chancery.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=19–20}} Hampered by a crippled hand, Wythe chose Clay as his secretary and [[amanuensis]], a role in which Clay would remain for four years.{{sfn|Eaton|1957|p=7}} Clay began to [[reading law|read law]] under Wythe's mentorship.<ref>[https://encyclopediavirginia.org/8630-afd6a1123ca3331/ Henry Clay] - Encyclopedia Virginia</ref> Wythe had a powerful effect on Clay's worldview, with Clay embracing Wythe's belief that the example of the United States could help spread human freedom around the world.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|pp=20–21}} Wythe subsequently arranged a position for Clay with Virginia attorney general [[Robert Brooke (Virginia governor)|Robert Brooke]], with the understanding that Brooke would finish Clay's legal studies.{{sfn|Heidler|Heidler|2010|p=23}} After completing his studies under Brooke, Clay was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the Virginia Bar]] in 1797.{{sfn|Klotter|2018|p=5}}