Cassius clay biography video walt

Despite being born into a wealthy family of enslavers in the southern United States, Cassius Marcellus Clay rose to become one of the country’s leading slavery abolitionists.

Popularly known as the “Lion of White Hall”, the Kentucky-born emancipationist and politician also served as the U.S. top diplomat to Russia from 1863 to 1869, serving under three United States presidents, including Abraham Lincoln.

What else was this American anti-slavery advocate most known for?

And what are some of the major feats he chalked up?

Below, we take a comprehensive look into the life and achievements of Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Biography

Clay was one of the six out of seven children born to Sally Lewis and Green Clay that lived to adulthood.

He grew up in a wealthy and a slave-holding plantation home in Kentucky. Clay attended Transylvania University in Lexington before proceeding