Finance and Administration Cabinet
2009 Limited Edition Capitol Christmas ornament now available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 8, 2009) —Just in time for gift giving, the Finance and Administration Cabinet’s Division of Historic Properties announces the release of the 2009 Kentucky State Capitol ornament, the seventh in this limited-edition series.  This year’s ornament features Henry Clay, legendary Kentuckian and statesman. 

Henry Clay’s life as a Kentuckian began in 1797, when he moved to central Kentucky from Virginia at the age of 20.  He served in the Commonwealth as a statesman, an attorney and a farmer.  Clay was first elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in 1803 and was appointed by the Kentucky General Assembly twice to fill out terms in the U.S. Senate.  He was elected as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1811.  He was chosen Speaker of the House on the first day of his first session, something that had never occurred before and has never happened since. 

In 1957, a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy named Clay as one of the five greatest senators in U.S. history.  He is commonly referred to as “The Great Compromiser” for his astute political skills.  He was known for his ability to negotiate treaties and settlements and for his eloquent skills as an orator.  Ashland, the estate of Henry Clay, is located in Lexington, Ky. and has been deemed a National Historic Landmark.

Beneath the soaring dome in the Capitol’s rotunda stands a “bronzed” plaster model of the Henry Clay statue that is located in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.  The Henry Clay model was unveiled and presented to the Commonwealth of Kentucky on November 29, 1930 by the Kentucky Bar Association. 

Each expertly crafted ornament is packaged in its own presentation box along with a brief history of Henry Clay and his contributions to Kentucky and the nation as a statesman. As have all prior official Capitol ornaments, the 2009 edition has been masterfully created by the ChemArt Company, which also designs and provides the annual White House Christmas ornament to collectors around the world.

The proceeds of each year’s Kentucky State Capitol commemorative Christmas ornament sales go to the endowment fund of the Division of Historic Properties to support its mission to preserve the Capitol for future generations. 

Ornaments may be purchased for $20 each and are available at the Berry Mansion, the 1792 Store at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourism and Convention Commission Center and the Capital City Museum, all in Frankfort. The ornament may also be viewed and purchased online at http://www.historicproperties.ky.gov/ornament.htm or by phone at (502) 564-3000.  A rendering of the ornament is attached. 

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