Image of Robert G. Clark, Jr. from the Library of Congress oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Pickens, Mississippi, 2013.
- In 1967, the former Speaker Pro Tem was the first African American elected to serve in the Mississippi Legislature since Reconstruction.
State Senator Bradford Blackmon (D) announced to the Mississippi Senate Tuesday morning that former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert Clark had died.
Clark became the first African American elected to serve in the Mississippi Legislature since Reconstruction in 1967. Until 1976, he was the only black state representatives serving in the Mississippi House.
Clark ran for and won the Speaker Pro Tempore’s position in 1992. He held that position for three terms, retiring from serving in the House in 2003 after 35 years. His son Bryant Clark succeeded him in the House.
He later became the first black lawmaker to have a state government building named after him.
Senators held a moment of silence for Clark on Tuesday morning.
“Robert Clark was a neighbor of mine. He broke so many barriers in the State of Mississippi with class, resolve and intellect. He’s going to be sorely missed,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) said after the moment of silence. “Our condolences go out to him, his son and his family.”
Prior to serving in the Legislature, Clark was a teacher in the Holmes County public school system. He became active in the Civil Rights Movement and agreed to run for public office in 1967 with the Freedom Democratic Party.
Clark ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1982 after winning the Democratic Party nomination.
Clark was a graduate of Jackson State University and Michigan State University. Michigan State awarded Clark an honorary doctorate of laws degree in 2014. In 2018, Mississippi State University awarded him with an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
The life of Robert Clark has been chronicled by many press outlets and biographers, including through the Library of Congress. An oral history interview featured by the Library of Congress conducted by John Dittmer in Pickens in 2013 can be viewed here.
Clark was 96 years old.
