Thomas J. Clayton

Clayton was born in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, to John and Ann Glover Clayton. The Clayton family was descended from early Quaker settlers of Pennsylvania. Clayton's ancestor William Clayton emigrated from Chichester, England, was a personal friend of William Penn, one of nine justices who sat at the Upland Court in 1681, and a member of Penn's Council. Clayton studied law under Daniel M. Bates, the Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery and under Edward Darlington who became a U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional district. He was admitted to the Delaware County bar in 1851 and to the Philadelphia bar in 1852. ==Career==

Clayton practiced law mainly in Philadelphia but lived in Delaware County in Thurlow which is now a part of the city of Chester. He was a skilled politician who never held office until being elected judge and built up a strong political machine in Delaware County. In 1856, Clayton was appointed by Pennsylvania Governor James Pollock as a member of his personal staff with the rank of Colonel. Pennsylvania amended the state constitution in 1852 changing the position of President Judge from an appointed one to an elected position. ==Bibliography==

In 1854, Clayton married Sarah J. McCay and together they had four children. Clayton is interred at the Chester-Bethel Church cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware. ==Legacy==

The Clayton School on 7th and Harwick Street in Chester, Pennsylvania was named in honor of Clayton. In 1920, the Reverend Augustine L. Ganster purchased Clayton's mansion at Ninth and Wilson streets in Chester, Pennsylvania for the purpose of converting it into a hospital. The property eventually became Community Hospital, part of the Crozer Keystone Health System. ==See also==