LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP) — Robert G. Clark, who was elected in 1967 as Mississippi’s first Black lawmaker of the 20th century and rose to the second-highest leadership role in the state House of Representatives, died Tuesday at age 96, his son said.
Rep. Bryant Clark, who succeeded Robert Clark, said his father died of natural causes at home in Holmes County, north of Jackson.
A teacher and descendant of slaves, Clark was ostracized during his first years at the state Capitol, relegated to sitting solo at a two-person desk in the House chamber and ignored by white colleagues at social events.
By the time he left office 36 years later, he had
→ Continue reading at The Associated Press
