Benjamin Clinton Clayton

Obituaries Nov. 4, 2026 11/11/2026 07:40 AM Dana King Benjamin Clinton Clayton, of Newton, died at Park Centre on November 4, 2026. He was 97.Ben was born in Chariton, Iowa, on July 8, 1929, to Benjamin Earl and Dorothy Smith Clayton. He was named for his grandfather, who came to southern Iowa as a child in a covered wagon in 1862. Though he grew up in town, he recalled many happy childhood days on the family farm near Russell in Lucas County.Ben attended Chariton schools, Simpson College, and the University of Iowa. Ben’s father wanted him to become a dentist, but Ben had other ideas. Working as a porter on the Milwaukee Clipper in the summer and janitor at the University of Iowa hospital during the school year, he put himself through Iowa Law School and graduated in 1953. He served stateside in the National Guard during the Korean War.Ben moved to Newton in 1953 as an associate in the Korf and Diehl law firm.

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