Senate On December 17, 1851, Henry Clay submitted a letter of resignation of his seat in the U.S. Senate, to be effective September 1 of the following year (1852). Clay's announcement came while the Kentucky General Assembly was in session. This was intentional. The majority of the Assembly was Whig, and Clay knew that if he resigned while the Assembly was in session, the majority would elect a Whig to be his successor. By contrast, if he had waited until September 1 to announce his resignation the Assembly would already have closed its session, and Governor Powell, a Democrat, would appoint a temporary successor until the legislature convened again two years later. The Assembly acted according to Clay's plans. By a vote of 71–58, they chose Dixon over Democrat James Guthrie to assume Clay's seat effective September 1. However, Clay died on June 29, 1852. Because Dixon's commission stipulated an effective date of September 1, Governor Powell proceeded to name Clay's successor for the period until September 1. He chose Democrat David Meriwether, who served those two months, then, with respect to the original commission issued by the legislature (or by simply not returning to the Senate upon the commencement of the next session), effectively relinquished the seat to Dixon. After a lengthy Senate debate on the validity of his commission—it having been issued prior to Clay's death, with an effective date subsequent to the executive appointment of a successor—Dixon was sworn in on December 20, 1852. He served the remainder of Clay's term, but did not stand for reelection in 1854. A major issue during Dixon's tenure in the Senate was the admission of the Nebraska Territory to the Union. Specifically, the question hinged upon the issue of whether or not slavery would be allowed in the state. Under the Missouri Compromise, slavery was prohibited in the territory. Because of this, the southern states opposed its admission. In an attempt to allay southern fears, Stephen Douglas introduced a bill in January 1854 that included a provision that "all questions pertaining to slavery in the territories, and in the new states to be formed therefrom are to be left to the people residing therein, through their appropriate representatives." Douglas hoped to placate southerners with this language, which allowed for the possibility of legalized slavery in the potential state without specifically addressing the issue of the Missouri Compromise. Southerners, however, saw