Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr. (February 10, 1857 – December 21, 1929) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (in case citations, M.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appea ...

and the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (in case citations, N.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are a ...

Education and career

Born on February 10, 1857, near Clayton, in Barbour County,

, Clayton attended the common schools, then received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1877 from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1878 from the

University of Alabama School of Law The University of Alabama School of Law, (formerly known as the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama) located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the st ...

. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Clayton from 1878 to 1880. He continued private practice in Eufaula, Alabama from 1880 to 1914. He was a register in chancery for Barbour County from 1880 to 1884. He was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1890 to 1891. He was the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Middle District of Alabama from 1893 to 1896. He was permanent Chairman of the Democratic National Convention in 1908.

Congressional service

Clayton was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

and to the eight succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until May 25, 1914, when he resigned and moved to Montgomery, Alabama to accept a federal judgeship. He was Chairman of the

United States House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administra ...

for the 62nd and 63rd United States Congresses. He was sponsor of the

Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 (, codified at , ), is a part of United States antitrust law with the goal of adding further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime; the Clayton Act seeks to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipie ...

. He was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1905 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against

Charles Swayne Charles Swayne (August 10, 1842 – July 5, 1907) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida who prevailed over an impeachment effort. Education and career Born in Guyencourt, ...

, Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and in 1912 against Robert W. Archbald, Judge of the

United States Commerce Court The Commerce Court of the United States was a short-lived federal trial court. It was created by the Mann-Elkins Act in 1910 and abolished three years later.Urgent Deficiency Act, 63rd Congress, 1st session, ch. 32, , October 22, 1913. Effective ...

. He was appointed to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Joseph F. Johnston Joseph Forney Johnston (March 23, 1843 – August 8, 1913) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician and businessman who was the List of governors of Alabama, 30th governor of Alabama from 1896 to 1900. He later ...

, but his appointment was challenged and withdrawn.

Federal judicial service

Clayton was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

on May 2, 1914, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge Thomas G. Jones. He was confirmed by the

on May 2, 1914, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on December 21, 1929, due to his death in Montgomery. He was interred in Fairview Cemetery in Eufaula.

Family

Clayton's father, Henry DeLamar Clayton, was a Major General in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. His brother,

Bertram Tracy Clayton Bertram Tracy Clayton (October 19, 1862 – May 30, 1918) was an American soldier and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1899 to 1901. Biography Born on the Clayton estate near Clayton, Alabama, he went on ...

, was a United States Representative from New York. His earliest immigrant ancestors came to North America from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was descended from

Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford ( 1599 – 21 August 1673), known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill. His mother was probably a ...

Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey KG (16 December 1582 – 24 October 1642) was an English peer, soldier and courtier. Early life Robert Bertie was the son of Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (b. 12 October 1555 – d. 25 J ...

and

William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison (1614 – 23 September 1643) was an Irish peer and Royalist soldier who was fatally wounded during the First English Civil War in 1643. Personal details William Villiers was born in 1614, eldest son ...

. Many of his ancestors were Cavaliers during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. He was a direct descendant of a member of the British Parliament, Robert Clayton.

Home

Clayton's home in Clayton, the Henry D. Clayton House, was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1976.

References

Sources

* *

Bibliography

* Rodabaugh, Karl. ''Congressman Henry D. Clayton and the Dothan Post Office Fight: Patronage and Politics in the Progressive Era.'' Alabama Review 33 (April 1980): 125-49; * Rodabaugh, Karl. ''Congressman Henry D. Clayton, Patriarch in Politics: A Southern Congressman During the Progressive Era.'' Alabama Review 31 (April 1978): 110-20. , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Henry De Lamar 1857 births 1929 deaths 20th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives People from Clayton, Alabama United States Attorneys for the Middle District of Alabama United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson University of Alabama School of Law alumni