William H. Clayton (July 17, 1814 – December 4, 1879) was a writer, secretary, and friend of the religious leader Joseph Smith. Born in England, Clayton was also an American pioneer in journalism, an inventor, a songwriter, and a musician. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1837 and served as second counselor to British Mission President Joseph Fielding while serving a mission in Manchester.
In September 1840, Clayton led a group of British converts who emigrated to the United States aboard the ship “North America.”
Clayton accepted plural marriage as a religious principle.
In April 1846, while encamped near Locust Creek on the Iowa Plain, Clayton wrote the lyrics to the popular Mormon hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” which is sung to the tune of the traditional English song “All Is Well.” The song was written in response to the good news from Nauvoo. One of his wives, Diantha, had given birth to a healthy boy, William Adriel Benoni Clayton.
