Green Clay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Madison County | |
| In office October 15, 1787 – October 17, 1790 Serving with Thomas Kennedy, John Miller | |
| Succeeded by | Hickerson Grubbs Waller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 14, 1757 Powhatan County, Colony of Virginia |
| Died | October 31, 1828 (aged 71) Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Sally Lewis (m. 1795) |
| Relations | Henry Clay (cousin) Matthew Clay (brother) Clement Comer Clay (cousin) Green Clay Smith (grandson) |
| Children | 7, including Brutus and Cassius |
| Military career | |
| Service | Clark's Illinois Regiment Continental Army |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Kentucky militia |
| Battles / wars | American Revolutionary War |
Green Clay (August 14, 1757 – October 31, 1828) was an American businessman, planter, military officer and politician in Virginia and Kentucky.[1] Clay served in the American Revolutionary War and helped form the new state of Kentucky after representing its Madison County in the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788 and in the Virginia House of Delegates which ultimately authorized creation of the new state of Kentucky. He also served in Kentucky's constitutional convention and in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, which would name a county for him in 1807. During the War of 1812 Clay was commissioned as a general and led the Kentucky militia in the relief of Fort Meigs in Ohio. He was believed to be one of the wealthiest men of the state, owning tens of thousands of acres of land, many slaves, several distilleries, a tavern, and ferries, although one of his sons, Cassius Marcellus Clay would become a prominent abolitionist.[1][2]
- ^ a b McKnight, Brian (2006). Clay, Green (1757–1828) in Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Vol. 3. Virginia State Library. pp. 280–281.
- ^ Tyler, Lyon G. (1915). "Green Clay" in Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. 2. Lewis Historical Publishing Co. pp. 243–244. available at hathitrust.org