 Like his brother Powell, W. H. H. Clayton married a southern woman, Florence Barnes.In 1868, Powell Clayton was elected Governor of Arkansas, and W. H. H. Clayton, while studying law, was appointed circuit superintendent of public instruction for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Arkansas and helped organize an education system for the newly freed slaves.In 1871, he was admitted to the bar and was appointed prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Arkansas.