John Middleton Clayton
| John Middleton Clayton | |
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Daguerreotype of Clayton made in the late 1840s or early 1850s by Mathew Brady
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| 18th United States Secretary of State | |
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In office March 8, 1849 – July 22, 1850 |
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| President |
Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore |
| Preceded by | James Buchanan |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Webster |
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United States Senator from Delaware |
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In office March 4, 1853 – November 9, 1856 |
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| Preceded by | Presley Spruance |
| Succeeded by | Joseph P. Comegys |
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In office March 4, 1845 – February 23, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Richard H. Bayard |
| Succeeded by | John Wales |
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In office March 4, 1829 – December 29, 1836 |
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| Preceded by | Henry M. Ridgely |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Clayton |
| Delaware Superior Court Chief Justice |
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In office January 16, 1837 – September 19, 1839 |
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| Member of the Delaware House of Representatives | |
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In office January 4, 1824 - January 3, 1825 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Middleton Clayton July 24, 1796 Dagsboro, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 1856 (aged 60) Dover, Delaware, U.S. |
| Resting place | Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Dover, Delaware, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Ann Fisher Clayton (1799 - 1825) |
| Relations | uncle, Dr. Joshua Clayton (1744 - 1798) cousin, Thomas Clayton (1777 - 1854) |
| Children | James F. Clayton (1823 - 1851) Charles McClyment Clayton (1825 - 1849) |
| Residence |
Dover, Delaware New Castle County, Delaware |
| Alma mater |
Yale University Litchfield Law School |
| Profession | lawyer |
| Cabinet | Zachary Taylor |
| Signature |  |
John Middleton Clayton (July 24, 1796 – November 9, 1856) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretary of State.
Born in Dagsboro, Delaware, son of Sarah (née Middleton) and James Clayton. His uncle, Dr. Joshua Clayton, was a former Governor of Delaware and his cousin, Thomas Clayton, was a prominent lawyer, U.S. Senator, and jurist. John M. Clayton studied at Berlin, Maryland and Milford, Delaware when his parents moved there. His boyhood home, known as the Parson Thorne Mansion, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. He graduated from Yale University in 1815, studied law at the Litchfield Law School, and in 1819 began the practice of law in Dover, Delaware.
About this time his father died and Clayton became the sole supporter of his immediate family, weekly walking the distance from Dover to Milford to see to their needs.
He married to Sally Ann Fisher in 1822. She was the granddaughter of former Governor George Truitt. They had two sons, James and Charles, but she died two weeks after the birth of Charles. Clayton never remarried and raised the two boys himself.
In 1844, Clayton cultivated a tract of land near New Castle, Delaware which he called Buena Vista. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Here he built a mansion and made one of the most fruitful estates in that region. Both of his sons died while in their 20's, shortly before the death of their father.
Clayton was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives for the 1824 session and was appointed the Delaware Secretary of State from December 1826 to October 1828. Conservative in background and outlook, Clayton quickly became a leader of the Adams faction which later developed into the Delaware Whig Party. During this time he was also the driving force in the convention that produced the Delaware Constitution of 1831.
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Wikipedia