Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

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Web Property of the U.S. Department of State

Portrait of John Middleton Clayton, 18th Secretary of State under Presidents Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore

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Object Details

Maker
Robert C. Hinckley (American, 1853-1941)
Date
1891
Geography
Unknown
Culture
North American
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Overall: 29 in x 24 1/4 in; 73.66 cm x 61.595 cm
Provenance
This portrait of John M. Clayton, which is a copy, was purchased by the Department of State from Mr. Hinckley on July 28, 1891.
Inscriptions
Signed "Robert Hinckley"
Credit Line
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1981.0090

Biography

John Middleton Clayton (1796–1856) was born in Sussex County, Delaware. He graduated from Yale College, practiced law, and entered politics in 1824, when he was elected to the state legislature. In 1828 he was elected to the U.S. Senate and later served as chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. In 1849, President Zachary Taylor appointed Clayton secretary of state.

Clayton was a supporter of U.S. commercial expansion. His key achievement as secretary was the 1850 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which pledged cooperation with Great Britain in the building of a future canal through Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

Clayton resigned upon the death of President Taylor in July 1850 and in 1853 was returned by voters of Delaware to the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death.