Who is Henry Clay from The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery and what is their importance?

Politician, Henry Clay, represented the state of Kentucky when Lincoln was a young man. He had strong feelings regarding slavery but was of the opinion that although slavery needed to be abolished..... their freedom should be a process. Clay believed that freed slaves should be encouraged to start over and move to other countries with the help of the United States, which would assist in establishing colonies.