Begun as a simple biography of Henry Clay’s lengthy political career of 46 years, his story quickly became entangled with his monumental, though youthful, political leadership of the War Hawks in urging the Madison Administration to arm the United States for war with Great Britain. He continued to advise in the war’s progress and ended by being one of the five distinguished Americans to treat for peace with a difficult team of mediocre British envoys. There still has been no detailed treatment of his major role in this early American war.