Thomas Clayton
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| Thomas Clayton | |
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| U.S. Representative from Delaware U.S. Senator from Delaware |
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| Born | July 1777 Cecil County, Maryland |
| Died | August 21, 1854 New Castle, Delaware |
| Residence | Dover, Delaware |
| Political party | Federalist Whig Party |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Spouse | Jennett |
Thomas Clayton (July 1777 – August 21, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, U. S. Representative from Delaware, and U.S. Senator from Delaware.
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[edit] Early life and family
Clayton was born July 1777 in Masseys Cross Roads in Cecil County, Maryland, Maryland, son of Joshua and Rachael McCleary Clayton, and the cousin of U.S. Senator John M. Clayton. It is said he was born while his mother was fleeing invading British troops on their way to capture Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Newark Academy, now the University of Delaware, in Newark, Delaware, studied law under Nicholas Ridgely in Dover, Delaware, and began a law practice in New Castle, Delaware in 1799. His wife's name was Jennet, and they had four children. They belonged to the Presbyterian Church.
[edit] Political career
Clayton began his political career a clerk of the Delaware House of Representatives in 1800. He then served as a member of that body for 8 years, serving at first from the 1803 session through the 1807 session, and returning in the 1811 session and again in the 1813 and 1814 sessions. He was elected to the Delaware Senate for the 1808 session, but resigned to become Delaware Secretary of State, serving from 1808 through 1810. Subsequently he was appointed the Delaware Attorney General and served in that office from 1810 until 1815.
In 1814 Clayton was elected as a Federalist to one of two at-large seats Delaware had in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served one term in the 14th Congress from March 4, 1815 until March 3, 1817. While he was in Congress, it was proposed that the compensation given U.S. Representatives be increased $6 a day to $1,500 a year. Clayton supported the change, but it became very controversial, and his support of it prevented him from even regaining the nomination of the Federalist Party.
Returning to Delaware, he failed in an attempt to return to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1818 election , but was returned to the Delaware Senate again for the sessions from 1821 through 1823. Then, when Caesar A. Rodney resigned as U.S. Senator from Delaware, Clayton was elected as his replacement, serving out his term, from January 8, 1824 to March 3, 1827. This was during the 18th Congress and 19th Congress, when the old party system of Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans was giving way to the Jacksonian Democrats, and those opposed to Jackson. Clayton, one of the last Federalists in the country, aligned himself with John Quincy Adams, and those who would later become National Republicans, and still later Whigs.
After his term in the U.S. Senate ended, Clayton was appointed Chief Justice of the Delaware Court of Common Pleas in 1828. This court no longer existed with the new Delaware Constitution of 1831, and Clayton was appointed Chief Justice of the Delaware Superior Court in 1832. In 1833, Chief Justice Clayton became one of the initial trustees of Newark College in Newark, Delaware, which would later become the University of Delaware.
In 1837 Clayton's cousin, U.S. Senator John M. Clayton, resigned his office, and Thomas Clayton was once again appointed to the United States Senate to take his cousin's place. Beginning his service near the end of the 24th Congress, he returned for the next Congress, and was reelected in 1841 for the following six years. In all he served this time from January 9, 1837 to March 3, 1847. During this second period of service in the Senate, Clayton was the Chairman on the Committee on Printing in the 27th Congress, and as a member of the Committee of Revolutionary Claims in the 29th Congress.
[edit] Death and legacy
Clayton died August 21, 1854 at his retirement home in New Castle, Delaware and is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Dover, Delaware. "A handsome man with polished manners, he was a stickler for dignity, decorum and punctuality at court session, and once ordered himself fined $10 for being 10 minutes late in appearing in court." [1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Henry M. Ridgely |
U.S. Representative from Delaware (1st at-large) March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 |
Succeeded by: Louis McLane |
| Preceded by: Caesar A. Rodney |
U.S. Senator from Delaware (class 1) January 15, 1824 – March 3, 1827 |
Succeeded by: Louis McLane |
| Preceded by: John M. Clayton |
U.S. Senator from Delaware (class 2) January 19, 1837 – March 3, 1847 |
Succeeded by: Presley Spruance |
[edit] Public offices
Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the General Assembly took office on the first Tuesday of January. State Senators had a three year term and State Representatives had a one year term. U.S. Representatives were popularly elected for a two year term, and the General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, for a six year term. Both took office the following March 4th.
[edit] Election results
| Year | Office | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
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| 1814 | U.S. House | Thomas Clayton Thomas Cooper |
Federalist | 3,964 3,960 |
30% 30% |
Willard Hall George Read, II |
Democratic-Republican | 2,547 2,545 |
20% 20% |
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| 1818 | U.S. House | Thomas Clayton Louis McLane |
Federalist | 2,902 3,098 |
25% 26% |
Willard Hall George Read, II |
Democratic-Republican | 3,007 2,818 |
25% 24% |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Wilson, W. Emerson (1969). Forgotten Heroes of Delaware. Cambridge, MA: Deltos Publishing Company.
[edit] References
- Read, William T. (1853). Biographical Sketch of Caesar Augustus Rodney. Wilmington, DE: Dictionary of American Biography.
- Martin, Roger A. (2003). Delawareans in Congress. Middletown, DE: Roger A. Martin. ISBN 0-924117-26-5.
- Munroe, John A. (1954). Federalist Delaware 1775-1815. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University.
- Wilson, W. Emerson (1969). Forgotten Heroes of Delaware. Cambridge, MA: Deltos Publishing Company.
- Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols.. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co..
- Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of the Senate. Newark, DE: Roger A. Martin.
[edit] External links
- Appleton’s Encyclopedia [1]
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [2]
- Delaware’s Members of Congress [3]
- Political Graveyard [4]
[edit] Places with more information
- Historical Society of Delaware [5] 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware (302) 655-7161
- University of Delaware Library [6] 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware (302) 831-2965
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