Dates: 1785-1834; n.d.

Biography:

Matthew Clay was born near Danville, Halifax County, Virginia, on March 25, 1754. During the Revolutionary War, Clay entered the Ninth Virginia Regiment. He was transferred to the First Virginia Regiment in 1778 and to the Fifth Virginia Regiment in 1781, where he was successively promoted to first lieutenant, captain, and quartermaster. He was mustered out in 1783. Clay was a member of the State House of Delegates from 1790–1794. He was then elected as a Democrat to the Fifth Congress and seven succeeding ones, 1797–1813. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1813. Clay returned to the Fourteenth Congress and served there until his death on March 4, 1815.

Scope and Content:

The Matthew Clay papers consist of correspondence between Clay and James Strange, John Spencer, and W. S. Williams. There are several excerpts from political announcements and speeches by Clay. Also contained are two broadsides and an address to the citizens of Campbell, Halifax, and Pittsylvania counties.