Preston Copeland Clayton (September 23, 1903 – June 20, 1996)"Former justice dies at 92", ''The Montgomery Advertiser'' (June 24, 1996), p. 6. was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Alabama The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the U.S. state, state of Alabama. The court consists of a Chief Justice, chief justice and eight Associate Justice, associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for stagge ...

from 1953 to 1954. Born in

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now modern-day Eufaula was occupied by three Muscogee Cre ...

, Clayton enrolled at the

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

at the age of 16, and received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

there in 1924. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

under Judge Walter B. Jones to gain

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1931. He served in the

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...

from 1939 to 1953, and served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel, and commanded an artillery unit in the Italian and North African campaigns. In 1953, Governor

Gordon Persons Seth Gordon Persons (February 5, 1902 – May 29, 1965) was an American Democratic politician who was the 43rd Governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955. A relative moderate, Persons provided reforms to the state prison system, and limited po ...

appointed Clayton to a seat on the Supreme Court of Alabama vacated by the death of Joel B. Brown. Clayton raised pure-bred

Arabian horse The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easi ...

s as a hobby, and organized and lead organizations for Arabian horse enthusaists. Clayton married Jewel Gladys Robinson of Clio in 1933, with whom he had three daughters and one son. He died at his home in

Clayton, Alabama Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Barbour County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,008 at the 2010 census, up from 1,475 in 2000. History Clayton has been the county seat since 1834, two years after the creation of Barbo ...

, at the age of 92.

References

1903 births 1996 deaths People from Eufaula, Alabama University of Alabama alumni U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law United States Army personnel of World War II Alabama state senators Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama 20th-century members of the Alabama Legislature {{Alabama-state-judge-stub