Rather Be Right Than Be President

As I mentioned briefly here, Henry Clay was one of the leading members of the Whig Party. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. House, and later in the U.S. Senate. One feat of his which seems remarkable, especially by today's standards, is that he was elected speaker of the House as a freshman congressman. By contrast, the current incumbent in that office, Nancy Pelosi, had been in the House for 20 years before becoming speaker. While the seniority system is not as rigidly followed in choosing a speaker as it is in choosing committee chairs (and, less importantly, except in the event of a presidential succession crisis, the president pro tempore of the Senate), Speaker Pelosi's level of seniority is typical of modern-day speakers.

Clay, the man who would rather be right than be president, in a sense got his wish. Despite being one of the most prominent political leaders in early-19th century America, he never became president.

Here is a post on another blog about Henry Clay, and his party's difficulties over the slavery issue.

Image: U.S. Senate