The Yazoo community mourns the loss of a beloved activist, politician and friend to this region with the recent passing of Robert G. Clark Jr., a state legislator who represented Yazoo County for 36 years.
From civil rights to education to overall governance, Clark was a historic figure in the world of politics, making history in 1967 as the first African American elected to the Mississippi Legislature since Reconstruction. At 96 years old, his passing truly marks the end of an era.
Throughout his political career, Clark was a voice for education reform, economic development and social justice throughout the state. He served as Chairman of the Education Committee and later as Speaker Pro Tempore, making him one of the most influential lawmakers in the state’s history. And he represented Attala, Holmes and Yazoo counties in the state legislature for close to four decades.
“Representative Clark’s legacy is one of courage, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to justice,” said Cheikh Taylor, Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party. “He stood against the odds and helped shape a more inclusive Mississippi, ensuring that all citizens had a voice in their government. His impact will be felt for generations to come.”
Clark’s own son, Bryant Clark, is following in his father’s political footsteps. Bryant succeeded his father for his office, serving in the Mississippi House since 2004.
And Clark was certainly no stranger to the local community. Speaking of his retirement from politics to The Yazoo Herald, his interview happened in the veterinary office of Dr. Jack Varner. He had just taken his four fox hunting puppies to the former veterinarian for vaccinations and shared his son’s venture into politics with this newspaper.
One of his topics? The Great Fox Hunt, an annual gathering of local and state lawmakers outside of Benton.
“When that fox hunt first got started, it really was a fox hunt,” he said, in the 2023 article. “Legislators from all over the state would bring their dogs, and we would turn dogs loose and run. It just grew, grew, grew and grew.”
Clark said he started fox hunting with his own father, choosing to hunt every Tuesday and Saturday morning.
“We’d turn those dogs loose at about 2 o’clock in the morning,” he said. “The only reward is hearing them run.”
Upon retirement, Clark told The Herald he wanted to work in the “area of human development.”
“When I say ‘human development,’ I’m not talking about going some place and getting a government grant where they have guidelines of what you can do and cannot do, but I’m talking about just working for the people and for myself and teaching people that they are somebody, and teaching young folks what they have to do to become a part of the mainstream way of life of America,” he said.
Clark attributed his political success to being able to work with people and being able to realize that God created no two individuals the same.
“Because an individual disagrees with me, it does not make that individual a bad individual,” he said. “And just because I disagree with another individual on a particular issue, it does not make me a bad individual. What I attribute my success to is being able to work with people and being able to understand people.”
In 2004, then Governor Haley Barbour officially named a state office building the Robert G. Clark Jr. Building.
“I take this opportunity to thank the people of Holmes, Humphreys, Yazoo and Attala counties for giving me the opportunity to help in the development of the state of Mississippi into the kind of society in which God Almighty would have it to be,” Clark said, during the building’s ceremony.
The building named for Clark housed a number of state agencies, including the State Personnel Board and the Mississippi Forestry Commission. He was the first African American to have a Mississippi state building named after him.
“Mississippi is a better state than it was 36 years ago when I came into this Legislature,” he concluded. “I am proud that I had my chance to help in the operation of state government. We gave it our best, with the best interests of the people as our focal point.”
Clark’s homecoming celebration was held Tuesday, March 10, in Lexington.
