William Henry Harrison Clayton (1840 - 1920)

Born 13 Oct 1840 in Bethel Township, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 14 Dec 1920 at age 80 in McAlester, Pittsburg, Oklahoma, United States

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Biography

William Henry Harrison Clayton, best known as W.H.H. Clayton, was a lawyer and judge in post-Civil War Arkansas and Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He served as the U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas, as chief prosecutor in the court of "hanging judge" Isaac Parker for 14 years and as a federal judge in the Central District of the Indian Territory that became Oklahoma.

He served as a lieutenant in the Union Army during the Civil War and fought in some of the key battles of the war.

While studying law in Pine Bluff, William served as superintendent of public instruction for the Seventh Judicial District and helped create 30 schools in seven Arkansas counties. Admitted to the bar in 1871, he served as prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial District and then judge of the First Judicial Court until accepting the appointment by President Grant to come to Fort Smith.

In 1897, with the Fort Smith court no longer having jurisdiction over Indian Territory, President William McKinley appointed William as federal judge of the Central District of Indian Territory. The Clayton family moved to McAlester. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed William as senior judge of Federal Courts and chief justice of the Court of Appeals of Indian Territory. In 1907, Roosevelt appointed Clayton as a member of the districting and canvassing board of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.

Upon the advent of Oklahoma statehood, the federal judgeship of the Indian Territory expired, and Judge Clayton resumed the practice of law in McAlester with his son, William, Jr. Judge Clayton died in 1920, 14 years after the death of Florence. Both are buried in the Fort Smith National Cemetery.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images, memorial page for William Henry Harrison Clayton (13 Oct 1840–14 Dec 1920), Find A Grave: Memorial #14572236, citing Fort Smith National Cemetery, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA ; Maintained by Rosa Cline (contributor 46510018) .

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• Croy, Homer (1952). He Hanged Them High. Duell, Sloan and Pearce-Little.
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• Harrington, Fred Harvey (1980). Hanging Judge. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2839-9.
• Woolridge, Clyde (1998). Judge William Clayton: a man of sterling worth and unwavering loyalty. News-Capital & Democrat.