In the November 1844 presidential election, Warren Countians voted overwhelmingly for Henry Clay, who ultimately lost to James K. Polk.

Clay, who represented Kentucky in both chambers of Congress and had been both speaker and attorney general, lost because he opposed annexation of Texas, believing this could cause tension between anti- and pro-slavery states and would lead to war with Mexico.

In 1847, Clay’s son, Henry Jr., died in the Mexican-American War, and Clay himself died in 1852, just nine years before the Civil War.

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.