I was born in 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia, however in 1797 I relocated to Lexington, Kentucky. At the age of twenty-six, I was elected to Kentucky's state legislature, and in 1811 I was elected to the United States House of Representatives and was chosen Speaker of the House on the first day of the session.
Early on, I earned a reputation for being a War Hawk, because I had pressured President Madison into going to war with Great Britain in 1812 - a move that I still stand behind to this very day.
My greatest contribution to American politics, however, is what I like to call the "American System". I firmly support the recharter of the Bank of the United States, a higher tariff, and - most importantly - federally funded internal improvements such as roads, canals, and railroads. With settlers moving further out west, it became clear to me that it was the federal government's job to fund such projects.
While my career as a Congressman was nothing short of spectacular, my attempts to become President of the United States did not meet much success.
In the election of 1824 I ran against three other candidates - John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford - and lost. Jackson accused me of making a "corrupt bargain" with Adams, since Adams appointed me Secretary of State shortly after the election. Do not believe such lies coming from an old fool like Jackson.
In 1832 I ran against my arch-enemy Jackson again. I made the mistake of thinking that if I made the renewal of the charter for the Bank of the United States the main issue, I would win the election. Unfortunately, my scheme did not work.
I also ran for President in 1844 against James K. Polk, and lost that one as well. It was at that time that I realized that the American people must not want me for their president.
My final contribution to American politics was the brilliantly crafted Compromise of 1850, in which I admitted California as a free state and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Law.
