Charles Dupuy was a black slave who served in the house of Henry Clay. Clay was an accomplished statesman who held various governmental offices throughout his life, including Speaker of the House, US Senator, and Secretary of State under John Adams. Dupuy's father, Aaron was personal valet to Henry Clay for some time. Charles took up the role subsequently, and did a fair bit of traveling with Henry Clay, especially in the early 1840s. Charles's mother Charlotte famously sued Henry Clay in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia for her freedom, as well as that of her two children Charles and Mary Ann. Her case failed. Clay granted Charlotte her freedom (as well as her daughter Mary Ann Dupuy) 11 years later, in 1840. "Charles Dupuy remained enslaved by Clay for another four years, during which he traveled with Clay to speaking engagements throughout the country, portrayed by Clay as an example of how well he treated his slaves."