The other was Andrew Jackson—"Old Hickory"—the hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Jackson knew little about government. He was a fighter, a man of the people.
In the election 1824, Jackson got the most electoral votes: 99. But he needed 130 to win a majority.
The secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, was second. Treasury Secretary William Crawford was third. And Henry Clay of Kentucky was fourth.
Because none of the candidates got a majority of the votes, the decision went to the House of Representatives. The House voted on only the three top candidates for president.
The most powerful man in Congress—Henry Clay—was not, therefore, a candidate. But Clay's support would be the greatest help any of the candidates could receive. All three wanted his support.
Treasury Secretary Crawford had suffered a serious illness before the election, and his health was bad. Clay felt he could not support him for that reason.
This left Adams and Jackson. Clay did not agree with all of Adams' policies. But he did believe Adams had the education and ability to be president.
Clay did not like Jackson, the hero of New Orleans. He knew Jackson was poorly educated and easy to anger. Clay did not think Jackson would be a good president.
So Clay decided to support Adams for president. He said nothing about this for a time. Several of Clay's friends visited Adams. They told him that Clay's supporters in the West would be pleased if Adams, as president, named Clay as secretary of state.
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