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 (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
and the
.
Education and career
Born on February 10, 1857, near
Clayton, in
Barbour County,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Clayton attended the common schools, then received an
Artium Baccalaureus
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in 1877 from the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
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 Chi ...
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 sta ...
.
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
The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...
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 c ...
for the Middle District of Alabama from 1893 to 1896.
He was permanent Chairman of the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
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 of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...
for the
62nd and
63rd United States Congress
The 63rd 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, D.C. from March 4, 1913, to ...
es.
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, Del ...
, Judge of the
, and in 1912 against
Robert W. Archbald
Robert Wodrow Archbald (September 10, 1848 – August 19, 1926), known as R. W. Archbald, was a United States circuit judge of the United States Commerce Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Circ ...
, 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 house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
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
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 ...
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 to ...
, was a United States Representative from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. His earliest immigrant ancestors came to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
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 Ju ...
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
The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...
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