Episode 16: The Great Compromiser (w/ David and Jeanne Heidler)

The Also-Rans

11-04-2023 • 1 h 7 minutes

He might be the most consequential also-ran in American history. And the best Speaker of the House. And one of its ten greatest senators. Harry of the West, the Sage of Ashland, the Great Compromiser...it's Henry Clay. How did this man, who lost his quest for the presidency three times, become one of the most impactful statesmen of his day? To help answer this riddle, we talk to Clay biographers David and Jeanne Heidler ("The Essential American").