William Barclay Napton

William Barclay Napton (1808–1883) was an American politician and jurist from the state of Missouri. A Democrat, Napton served as the state's 4th Attorney General, and multiple terms on the Missouri Supreme Court.

Early life

William Barclay Napton was born March 23, 1808, in Princeton, New Jersey, to John and Susan Barclay (Hight) Napton. Napton's father was a moderately successful tailor, enough so that as the oldest son William received private tutoring before enrollment in Princeton and Lawrenceville (New Jersey) preparatory academies. Napton then entered Princeton College in 1824 at the age of sixteen as a Junior, his previous studies and knack for Latin and Greek languages allowing him to bypass his freshman and sophomore years. Following his graduation in 1826 Napton moved to Albemarle County, Virginia, where he was employed as a tutor for the children of General William F. Gordon for a period of two years. He then studied law at the University of Virginia, earning his degree in 1830. After graduation Napton found the abundance of lawyers in Charlottesville, Virginia, made finding work as an attorney difficult, so for two years he and a University of Virginia classmate operated Mudwell Academy, a college preparatory school. Napton entered the Virginia Bar in 1831, but the next year moved to Missouri.

Settling briefly in Columbia, William Napton soon moved to the Howard County town of Fayette, then a hotbed of Missouri politics. As in Charlottesville, Napton found establishing a law practice, especially as a newcomer, difficult. However he had quickly made powerful friends in Democratic politics, including former Missouri Governor John Miller, Meredith Miles Marmaduke and Dr. John Sappington. This group, collectively known as the "Central Clique—Jacksonian Democrats and acolytes of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton—dominated the state's politics in pre-Civil War times. At their urging Napton started a newspaper, the Boon's Lick Democrat, serving as editor. On March 27, 1838, Napton married Melinda Williams. Napton and his wife would eventually become parents of ten living children, nine boys and one girl.