Thomas Clay McCreery was born in 1816 and died in 1890. One of Daviess County's most distinguished natives, he was an accomplished lawyer, orator, and farmer. He served as a presidential elector in 1852, 1856, and 1860, and as a United States senator from 1868 to 1871, elected to fill an unexpired term, and again from 1873 to 1879. He was the grandson of Thomas Clay, a Revolutionary officer and legislator.