While it is generally known that Henry Clay was Abraham Lincoln’s “beau ideal of a statesman,” it is less well known that Clay had important connections to Jefferson Davis, as well.  In recognition of the recent bicentennial of Davis’s birth and in fulfillment of one of the goals of the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, this exhibit will examine the substantial and personal ties between Henry Clay and Jefferson Davis.  It will focus especially on Henry Clay Jr., Davis’s Transylvania and West Point classmate, friend, and brother-in-arms in the Mexican War and most significant connection to Clay.  It will also examine the confrontation Clay and Davis had in the U.S. Senate.  The exhibit seeks to shed light on the important relationship between Clay and Davis, as well as Davis’s importance in American affairs before the Civil War.