James Clay (20 December 1804, London – 26 September 1873,

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

) was an English politician and a leading

whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History In 1674, '' The Complete Gamester'' described the game Ru ...

authority.

Early life and education

Clay was born in Bloomsbury, London, son of merchant James Clay (1764–1828) and Mary (1766/7–1840). He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

, then went up to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, where he took a "gentleman's third" in classics.

Career

Clay was MP for

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

from July 1847 until 1853, when he was unseated after a bribery inquiry. He regained the seat at an 1857 by-election and held it until his death.M. C. Curthoys
‘Clay, James (1804–1873)’
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 Clay played an important role in the development and passing of the

Reform Act 1867 The Representation of the People Act 1867 ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102), known as the Reform Act 1867 or the Second Reform Act, is an act of the British Parliament that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the ...

. A radical who favoured greatly expanding the franchise, Clay entered into a pact with his old friend

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

, who was responsible for the bill, to ensure it survived attacks and amendments from Gladstone. In return, Disraeli accepted Clay and his allies' amendments, which led to the enfranchisement of far more people than originally intended by the governing conservative party (Blake 1966, Disraeli). According to an obituary in the ''Westminster papers: a monthly journal of chess, whist, games of skill and the drama'' Clay had been "the acknowledged head of the Whist world" for the last thirty years before his death, spending much of his time and attention on whist and

piquet Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...

. In 1863 he became chairman of a committee for settling the laws of whist.

Personal life

Clay married Eliza Camilla, daughter of General Josiah Allen Woolrych (1784-1849), of

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white village ...

, Herefordshire, descendant of an ancient Shropshire family, at one time baronets. They had six children, including the musical composer

Frederic Clay Frederic Emes Clay (3 August 1838 – 24 November 1889) was an English composer known principally for songs and his music written for the stage. Although from a musical family, for 16 years Clay made his living as a civil servant in HM Treasury ...

and Henry Clay (later Clay-Ker-Seymer), grandfather of the photographer Barbara Ker-Seymer.A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, (5th ed.), Sir Bernard Burke, 1871, p. 1248

References

External links

* English non-fiction writers Card game book writers 1804 births 1873 deaths UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1868–1874 English male non-fiction writers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies {{card-game-stub