BIOGRAPHY
John Middleton Clayton
Secretary of State,
Term of Appointment:
03/08/1849 to
07/22/1850
- Born at Dagsboro, Sussex County, Delaware, July 24, 1796;
- Graduated from Yale College in 1815;
- Attended Litchfield Law School; was admitted to the bar in 1819,
- Commenced practice in Dover, Delaware, and won a reputation unrivaled in the State;
- Married Sarah Ann Fisher in 1822;
- Member of the State House of Representatives, 1824-1826;
- Secretary of State of Delaware, 1826-1828;
- Senator from Delaware, 1829-1836;
- Delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 1831;
- Chief Justice of Delaware 1837-1839;
- Engaged in scientific farming near New Castle, Delaware, and gained a wide reputation as an agriculturist;
- Again a Senator from Delaware 1845-1849;
- Secretary of State in President Taylor's Cabinet from March 8, 1849 until July 22, 1850;
- As Secretary of State, negotiated and signed the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 with Great Britain;
- Resumed his agricultural pursuits;
- Again a Senator from Delaware. 1853-1856;
- Died in Dover, Delaware on November 9, 1856.
Released on July 15, 2003
| 
