Powell Clayton
Encyclopedia
Powell Clayton was an engineer, a Union Army
general in the American Civil War
, the first Reconstruction Governor of the State of Arkansas
, and Ambassador to Mexico during the administrations of William McKinley
and Theodore Roosevelt
.
, to John and Ann Glover Clayton. He was a direct descendent of William Clayton, originally from Chichester, England,http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6630/claytonfam.html&date=2009-10-25+07:29:51 who was a close friend of George Fox, founder of the Quakers, and William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. His father was an orchard keeper and carpenter and parents had ten children in all, although six died in infancy. He attended a private military academy in Bristol, Pennsylvania
and later attended engineering school at Wilmington, Delaware
.
Clayton moved to Kansas
in 1855 and served as an engineer at Leavenworth, Kansas
. On April 29, 1861, he is recorded as having a company of militia
at Fort Leavenworth
.
as a captain of the 1st Kansas Infantry
. In December 1861, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
of the 5th Kansas Cavalry
and later to colonel
in March 1862.
During the war he served primarily in Arkansas
and Missouri
and fought in several other battles in those states.
. Cotton bales hastily placed around the Pine Bluff courthouse and surrounding streets provided an effective barricade for the union defenders. Confederate loss was 41 killed, wounded, and captured. Clayton was appointed a brigadier general
of volunteers on August 1, 1864.
). Arkansas was a violent place after the war with lynchings, murders and intimidation. Powell was told by other farmers that they would pretend to go along with reconstruction but would win back what they had lost through peaceful means. Powell decided he would stay out of conflicts and tend to his farm. When his neighbors became more and more threatening, he decided to enter politics.
In 1868 he was elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas. His tenure was marked with soaring state debt (despite a state surplus when he took office), corruption, and violence. He was forced to declare martial law at the beginning of his term because of racial tensions. Many members of his administration, and colleagues in his party were brought up on corruption charges while he was governor. Clayton himself was impeached at one point, but he was never formally convicted of a crime. He was involved with the tampering of a US senate election between Thomas Boles and John Edwards. However he was not convicted of anything because of a technicality in election rules. He did work to improve the infrastructure in Arkansas building railroads, levees, and unifying the school system, however the means used to raise the money for these projects was often controversial and probably lead to the state debt.
On September 9, 1868 Clayton lost his left hand while hunting outside Little Rock when his rifle discharged.
Powell Clayton accepted election to the United States Senate reluctantly after some controversy over who would become governor of Arkansas. Once he was sure Arkansas was stable he left the state. His administration is mainly blamed for the Brooks–Baxter War.
While in the Senate, he worked with President Grant and his brother W.H.H. Clayton to redirect Judge Isaac Parker from Utah to Fort Smith. The legendary “Hanging Judge” along with U.S. Attorney Clayton are credited with bringing law and order to the region. W.H.H. Clayton was later instrumental in bringing statehood to Oklahoma.
Clayton returned to Arkansas and in 1882 established a home at the resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas
, living in what is now the Crescent Cottage Inn. He was President of the Eureka Springs Improvement Company (ESIC). This group worked to improve Eureka Springs, building commercial and residential structures, many which still exist. They also work to bring the railroad to Eureka Springs. The ESIC also built the Crescent Hotel, one of Eureka Springs most notable landmarks. A poem on the fireplace in the lobby of the Crescent Hotel is attributed to Clayton
His brother, John Middleton Clayton
was assassinated in 1889 in Plumerville, Arkansas
, in Conway County while attempting to dispute the outcome of his Congressional race with Democrat
Clifton R. Breckinridge
.
in 1897 by President William McKinley
and served in that position until 1905. In 1912 he moved to Washington, D.C.
.
Clayton was the author of The Aftermath of the Civil War in Arkansas, published posthumously in 1915.
Clayton died in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
general in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the first Reconstruction Governor of the State of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and Ambassador to Mexico during the administrations of William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
.
Early life
Clayton was born in Bethel, PennsylvaniaBethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Bethel Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,421 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, to John and Ann Glover Clayton. He was a direct descendent of William Clayton, originally from Chichester, England,http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6630/claytonfam.html&date=2009-10-25+07:29:51 who was a close friend of George Fox, founder of the Quakers, and William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. His father was an orchard keeper and carpenter and parents had ten children in all, although six died in infancy. He attended a private military academy in Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Philadelphia opposite Burlington, N.J. on the Delaware River. Bristol was first incorporated in 1720. Although its charter was revised in 1905, the original charter remains in effect, making Bristol one of the older boroughs in...
and later attended engineering school at Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
.
Clayton moved to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1855 and served as an engineer at Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. On April 29, 1861, he is recorded as having a company of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
.
Civil War
In May 1861 Clayton was formally mustered into the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as a captain of the 1st Kansas Infantry
1st Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry
The 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 1st Kansas Infantry was organized at Camp Lincoln near Leavenworth, Kansas, May 20 - June 30, 1861 and mustered in for three years. The greatest number of...
. In December 1861, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 5th Kansas Cavalry
5th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
The 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th Kansas Cavalry was organized at Leavenworth, Kansas from July 12, 1861 through January 22, 1862. Companies L and M were organized April through July 1862. ...
and later to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in March 1862.
During the war he served primarily in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and fought in several other battles in those states.
Occupation of Pine Bluff
During the morning and early afternoon of October 25, 1863, Clayton was in command of federal troops occupying Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He successfully repulsed a three-pronged confederate attack of the forces of General John S. MarmadukeJohn S. Marmaduke
John Sappington Marmaduke was a career military man and a West Point graduate. He is known for his service as a Confederate Major general during the American Civil War...
. Cotton bales hastily placed around the Pine Bluff courthouse and surrounding streets provided an effective barricade for the union defenders. Confederate loss was 41 killed, wounded, and captured. Clayton was appointed a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers on August 1, 1864.
Arkansas life and career
Powell decided to stay in Arkansas, possibly because of a women he fell in love with. He married Adaline McGraw of Helena and purchased a farm in Jefferson County with his brother William (W.H.H. ClaytonW.H.H. Clayton
William Henry Harrison Clayton best known as W.H.H. Clayton was a prominent lawyer and judge in post-Civil War Arkansas and Indian Territory Oklahoma...
). Arkansas was a violent place after the war with lynchings, murders and intimidation. Powell was told by other farmers that they would pretend to go along with reconstruction but would win back what they had lost through peaceful means. Powell decided he would stay out of conflicts and tend to his farm. When his neighbors became more and more threatening, he decided to enter politics.
In 1868 he was elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas. His tenure was marked with soaring state debt (despite a state surplus when he took office), corruption, and violence. He was forced to declare martial law at the beginning of his term because of racial tensions. Many members of his administration, and colleagues in his party were brought up on corruption charges while he was governor. Clayton himself was impeached at one point, but he was never formally convicted of a crime. He was involved with the tampering of a US senate election between Thomas Boles and John Edwards. However he was not convicted of anything because of a technicality in election rules. He did work to improve the infrastructure in Arkansas building railroads, levees, and unifying the school system, however the means used to raise the money for these projects was often controversial and probably lead to the state debt.
On September 9, 1868 Clayton lost his left hand while hunting outside Little Rock when his rifle discharged.
Powell Clayton accepted election to the United States Senate reluctantly after some controversy over who would become governor of Arkansas. Once he was sure Arkansas was stable he left the state. His administration is mainly blamed for the Brooks–Baxter War.
While in the Senate, he worked with President Grant and his brother W.H.H. Clayton to redirect Judge Isaac Parker from Utah to Fort Smith. The legendary “Hanging Judge” along with U.S. Attorney Clayton are credited with bringing law and order to the region. W.H.H. Clayton was later instrumental in bringing statehood to Oklahoma.
Clayton returned to Arkansas and in 1882 established a home at the resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. Along with Berryville, it is one of the two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,350...
, living in what is now the Crescent Cottage Inn. He was President of the Eureka Springs Improvement Company (ESIC). This group worked to improve Eureka Springs, building commercial and residential structures, many which still exist. They also work to bring the railroad to Eureka Springs. The ESIC also built the Crescent Hotel, one of Eureka Springs most notable landmarks. A poem on the fireplace in the lobby of the Crescent Hotel is attributed to Clayton
His brother, John Middleton Clayton
John M. Clayton (Arkansas)
This article is about the assassinated Arkansas Republican. For the U.S. Secretary of State and Senator from Delaware with the same name, see John M. Clayton....
was assassinated in 1889 in Plumerville, Arkansas
Plumerville, Arkansas
Plumerville is a city in Conway County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 854 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plumerville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....
, in Conway County while attempting to dispute the outcome of his Congressional race with Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Clifton R. Breckinridge
Clifton R. Breckinridge
Clifton Rodes Breckinridge was a Democratic alderman, congressman, diplomat, businessman and veteran of the Confederate Army and Navy. He was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family, the son of Vice President of the United States and Confederate General John C. Breckinridge and the...
.
Later life
Powell Clayton was appointed as Ambassador to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1897 by President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and served in that position until 1905. In 1912 he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Clayton was the author of The Aftermath of the Civil War in Arkansas, published posthumously in 1915.
Clayton died in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
Links
- [Grave Stone at Arlington National Cemetery http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/pclayton.htm]