Quick Info
| Profession | Attorney and public official |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | 11/07/1966 |
| Age | 60 years |
| Birthplace | Newport News, Virginia, United States |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Latest News about Jay Clayton
President Donald Trump nominated Jay Clayton, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next permanent Director of National Intelligence. Clayton was described as a more conventional choice than the president's earlier pick for the post. Senate Democrats, including Senator Chuck Schumer, had signaled opposition to his nomination.
Federal judges in the Southern District of New York approved Clayton to serve as U.S. Attorney, allowing him to remain in the role after his interim term was set to expire, despite not yet being confirmed by the Senate. The decision made him the first significant U.S. Attorney appointment under Trump that went unchallenged. He took over the post on August 20, 2025.
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Bio/Wiki
| Full Name | Walter Joseph Clayton III |
|---|---|
| Summary | American attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2025 and as Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 to 2020. In June 2026 he was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Director of National Intelligence, a nomination that was pending at the time of this update. |
Educational Qualification(s)
| Lafayette College | Attended before transferring |
|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 1988, summa cum laude |
| University of Cambridge (King's College) | Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Economics, 1990, as a Thouron Scholar |
| University of Pennsylvania Law School | Juris Doctor, 1993, cum laude, Order of the Coif |
Personal Life
| Spouse | Gretchen Butler |
|---|---|
| Admissions | Admitted to practice in New York and Washington, D.C. |
| Political Party | Independent |
Relationships & More
| Spouse | Gretchen Butler |
|---|
Family
| Father | Worked for the Hershey Company |
|---|---|
| Upbringing | Grew up near Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Wallingford, Pennsylvania |
Career
| Legal start | Law clerk to Judge Marvin Katz, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1993-1995 |
|---|---|
| Securities and Exchange Commission | Chairman, May 4, 2017 to December 23, 2020 |
| Private sector | Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, including its Management Committee, before chairing the SEC |
| Academic | Adjunct professor at the Wharton School and Carey Law School, University of Pennsylvania; co-chaired the university's Institute for Law and Economics from 2022 to 2025 |
| Other roles | Member of the FDIC Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee since January 2022 |
| U.S. Attorney, SDNY | Nominated April 2025; interim from April 22, 2025; confirmed and took the full role in August 2025 |
| Director of National Intelligence | Nominee named by President Trump in June 2026; confirmation status pending |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Was born at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia | |
| 2. Attended Strath Haven High School, graduating in 1984 | |
| 3. Played on the Lafayette College soccer team | |
| 4. Received the Thouron Award for postgraduate study in the United Kingdom | |
| 5. Worked as a member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol and the Penn Law rugby team during college and law school | |
| 6. Interned with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia |
