He was in private practice in Tupelo from 1931 to 1935, and was a prosecuting attorney for Lee County, Mississippi, from 1935 to 1938.
After serving in the United States Army, he was in private practice in Tupelo from 1945 to 1958.
[2] On February 24, 1958, Clayton was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi vacated by Judge Elijah Allen Cox.
Clayton's service was terminated on November 23, 1967, due to elevation to the Fifth Circuit.
[1] On October 16, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Clayton to a new seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit created by 80 Stat.