Background
Henry Clay was born on September 18, 1844 in Barnet, Vermont, United States. He was the son of a farmer. His parents, Jacob and Lodoska (Knights) Ide, struggled hard that Henry might have an education.
(The culminating volume in The Papers of Henry Clay begins...)
The culminating volume in The Papers of Henry Clay begins in 1844, the year when Clay came within a hair's breadth of achieving his lifelong goal-the presidency of the United States. Volume 10 of Clay's papers, then, more than any other, reveals the Great Compromiser as a major player on the national political stage. Here are both the peak of his career and the inevitable decline. On a tour through the southern states in the spring of 1844, Clay seemed certain of gaining the Whig nomination and the national election, until a series of highly publicized letters opposing the annexation of Texas cost him crucial support in both South and North. In addition to the Texas issue, the bitter election was marked by a revival of charges of a corrupt bargain, the rise of nativism, the influence of abolitionism, and voter fraud. Democrat James K. Polk defeated Clay by a mere 38,000 popular votes, partly because of illegal ballots cast in New York City. Speaking out against the Mexican War, in which his favorite son was a casualty, the Kentuckian announced his willingness to accept the 1848 Whig nomination. But some of his closest political friends, including many Kentucky Whig leaders, believed he was unelectable and successfully supported war hero Zachary Taylor. The disconsolate Clay felt his public career was finally finished. Yet when a crisis erupted over the extension of slavery into the territories acquired from Mexico, he answered the call and returned to the United States Senate. There he introduced a series of resolutions that ultimately passed as the Compromise of 1850, the most famous of his three compromises. Clay's last years were troubled ones personally, yet he remained in the Senate until his death in 1852, continuing to warn against sectional extremism and to stress the importance of the Union-messages that went unheeded as the nation Clay had served so well moved inexorably toward separation and civil war. Publication of this book is being assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Henry Clay was born on September 18, 1844 in Barnet, Vermont, United States. He was the son of a farmer. His parents, Jacob and Lodoska (Knights) Ide, struggled hard that Henry might have an education.
Ide graduated from Dartmouth College in 1866.
After College Ide served two years as principal of the St. Johnsbury (Vermont) Academy and one year as principal of the Cotting high school at Arlington, Massachussets.
He then took up the study of law and was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1871. He was state's attorney for Caledonia County in 1876 and 1877 and state senator from 1882 to 1885. In 1884 he was president of the Republican State Convention and four years later a Vermont delegate to the Republican National Convention. On March 3, 1891, President Harrison appointed Ide "Land Commissioner in Samoa, " a position created by the treaty of 1889 between the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, which provided that each signatory should name a representative to adjust claims by aliens of titles to land in the Samoan Islands. He reached Apia May 16.
He resigned six months later because of serious illness in his family. The treaty of 1889 provided that the three signatories in common accord should name a chief justice of Samoa. Ide accepted the offer of this position in August 1893 and sailed for Samoa two months later. His position was difficult in that he had to try cases not only of nationals of the three treaty powers but also of native Samoans and other natives of the South Sea Islands. In addition, he was given authority to recommend to the government of Samoa the passage of laws for the prevention and punishment of crime and for the collection of taxes.
After serving three years he submitted his resignation, but owing to the delayed arrival of his successor, he remained on duty until May 13, 1897. Ide felt that his work had been made more difficult because the Democratic administration was not in sympathy with the continuance of the treaty of 1889. In March 1900 Ide was appointed by President McKinley to serve on the Philippine Commission delegated "to continue and perfect the work of organizing and establishing civil government already commenced by the military authorities. " When the members of the Commission were made heads of four executive departments in 1901, Ide became secretary of finance and justice. He was made vice-governor, February 1, 1904; acting governor, November 4, 1905; and governor-general, April 2, 1906. He resigned in September 1906.
On April 1, 1909, President Taft appointed him envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Spain. As minister, he served ably for four years, uneventful years in the relations between the United States and Spain. He returned to his home in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in August 1913, and there spent the last years of his life. At the time of his death in 1921 he was president of the board of trustees of the St. Johnsbury Academy.
Henry Clay Ide, as the gubernatorial authority of the Philippines, had much to do with the framing of a large amount of legislation which was adopted by Philippine Commission, notably the Code of Civil Procedure of 1901 and the Internal Revenue Law of 1904; and he was largely responsible for the effective reform of the Philippine currency. He had six years of most valuable service during the constructive period of the government established in the Philippine Islands by the United States. In addition to his political activities, he served as director of various banks, and of manufacturing and railroad companies.
(The culminating volume in The Papers of Henry Clay begins...)
Quotes from others about the person
On November 10, two days before Ide left Samoa, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote him: "I hear with great regret of your departure. They say there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it, but I doubt if they will come to our hook. It is not only that you have shown so much capacity, moderation, tact, and temper; but you have had the talent to make these gifts recognized and appreciated among our very captious population. For my part, I always thought your presence the best thing that the treaty had brought us. "
Upon his departure the Samoa Weekly Herald commented on his clean record as a just and able judge, and King Malietoa stated: "You will not be forgotten in Samoa, you will be remembered as the good Chief Justice who knew our ways and laws and customs and was kind and just to us. "
On 26 October 1871 Henry was married to Mary M. , daughter of Joseph and Sophia Matcher (or Melcher), of Stoughton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, who died 13 April 1892. They had four children: Adelaide (Addie) M. , Annie L. , Harry J. and Mary M.
