Charles Clayton

Charles Clayton ( born October 5, 1825 Derbyshire, England; † October 4, 1885 in Oakland, California ) was an American politician of British origin. Between 1873 and 1875 he represented the state of California in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Charles Clayton attended the public schools of his native England. In 1842 he came to the United States. A few years later he moved to California. Between 1849 and 1850 he served as mayor ( alcalde ) of Santa Clara. In this city he founded some grain mills and worked for some time as a miller. Later he settled in San Francisco. At the same time he began a political career as a member of the Republican Party. Between 1863 and 1866 he was a deputy in the California State Assembly. Between 1864 and 1869 he sat on the City Council (Board of Supervisors ) of San Francisco. In 1870 he directed the customs authorities in the Greater San Francisco including the port.

In the congressional elections of 1872 Clayton was the first electoral district of California in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he succeeded Sherman Otis Houghton took up on March 4, 1873, who moved into the fourth district. Since he resigned in 1874 to further candidacy, he was able to complete only one term in Congress until March 3, 1875. In the years 1881 and 1882 Charles Clayton headed the State Prison California. He died on October 4, 1885, one day before his 60th birthday, in Oakland.