Mississippi has lost an icon and a staunch advocate for public education with the passing of former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert Clark, Jr., at the age of 96. Speaker Pro Tem Clark was a teacher, a coach, a civil rights activist, and the first Black legislator elected in Mississippi since Reconstruction.
First elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1967, he remained the only Black member of the Legislature until 1976. In those early years, he was ostracized by his fellow legislators, made to sit alone in the House chamber at a two-person desk and barred from speaking on the floor. But over time, he became revered by that same body and was named chairman of the important Education Committee and the Ethics Committee, eventually being elevated to the second-highest position in the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore, a post he held from 1992 until he retired in 2004.
Speaker Pro Tem Clark broke countless barriers, and during his 10-year tenure as Education Chairman, helped to shepherd through the landmark Education Reform Act of 1982, bringing public kindergarten to our state. He was known as a statesman and a gentleman, able to work across the aisle to move Mississippi forward.
We offer our deepest condolences to his son, Rep. Bryant Clark, and his family. Speaker Pro Tempore Robert Clark will be missed, but his legacy will be lasting.
