Joshua Clayton
Joshua Clayton was born in Wyoming, Delaware, United States on July 20th, 1744 and is the Politician. At the age of 54, Joshua Clayton biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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Dr.
Joshua Clayton (July 20, 1744 – August 11, 1798) was an American physician and politician from Mt.
Pleasant in Pencader Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware.
He was an officer of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and a member of the Federalist Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Governor of Delaware and as U.S. Senator from Delaware.
Early life and family
Clayton was born near Wyoming, Delaware, son of John Clayton and Eleanor Edinfield. John Clayton was a miller and the grandson of another Joshua Clayton, a Quaker, who came from Lincolnshire, England in the late 17th century. The younger Joshua Clayton went to medical school at, what is now, the University of Pennsylvania from 1757 until 1762, and then began a medical practice in Middletown, Delaware. He became close friends with Richard Bassett, and in 1765, married his adopted daughter, Rachael McCleary.
Clayton acquired a portion of Richard Bassett's Bohemia Manor estate, and in 1773 built their home, Locust Grove. It is now known as the Dickey Farm, and is on the Choptank Road, two miles west of Mt. Pleasant in Pencader Hundred, to the northwest of Middletown. There they had three children who lived to adulthood, Richard, James Lawson and Thomas. Their religious affiliation is unclear, but they were almost certainly members of the Bethel Methodist Church by the time of their deaths.
Military and political career
Clayton was serving in the Bohemia Manor militia, where he had been issued a major during the American Revolution. During the Battle of Brandywine and at Valley Forge, he served as both an aide and surgeon.
Clayton appeared in the House of Assembly in the 1778/79 session and later in the 1783/84 session. In the 1785/86 session and the 1787/88 session, he was back. He was elected President of Delaware by the Delaware General Assembly on May 30, 1789, and served as President until January 15, 1793. He was the first widely elected Governor of Delaware under the provisions of the new Delaware Constitution of 1792 and continued to serve in that role until his term ended, January 19, 1796.
This new state Constitution was the first major political change in these years. With the new US Constitution in place, it was vital to revise the somewhat experimental Delaware Constitution of 1776. Delegates were looking for a real Governor who was elected by popular vote but not necessarily sharing executive power with the Privy Council under John Dickinson's first leadership. The other major change was to expand the voting franchise by removing the requirement of being a resident.
Clayton was appointed by the Delaware General Assembly to fill the empty seat in the United States Senate triggered by the resignation of U.S. Senator John Kerry two years after his term ended. Senator John M. Vining (Male). He began his term in 1798 and died on August 11, 1798 while still in office. He served in the Federalist majority in the 5th Congress during President John Adams' administration.