Extend the deepest sympathy of the Legislature on the passing of former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark, Jr.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 535 is a memorial resolution honoring former Mississippi House Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark, Jr., who died on March 4, 2025, at age 96. The resolution recounts Clark’s historic role as the first African American elected to the Mississippi Legislature since Reconstruction, his long service from 1967 to 2003, and his rise to Speaker Pro Tempore. It also highlights his work in education, ethics, elections, and his support for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Two Mississippi Museums.
The resolution expresses the Legislature’s sympathy to Clark’s family and recognizes his broader legacy as a teacher, coach, businessman, rancher, and civic leader. It emphasizes his bipartisan respect, his involvement in civil rights history, and his lasting influence on Mississippi’s public institutions and political life. The measure is commemorative only and does not change substantive law or create new programs, duties, or appropriations.
SC535 has no direct legal or regulatory impact; it is a concurrent resolution that serves as an official expression of condolence and recognition. It does not amend the Mississippi Code, alter agency authority, or affect rights or obligations of any person or entity. Its practical effect is ceremonial, including transmission of the resolution to Clark’s family, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Capitol Press Corps.
The sentiment around the resolution is strongly positive and respectful, reflecting broad bipartisan admiration for Clark’s historic service and personal legacy. The bill passed the Senate unanimously, 51-0, indicating no recorded opposition. The language of the resolution is celebratory and mournful, focusing on gratitude, remembrance, and the Legislature’s desire to honor his memory.
There is no notable policy contention in the bill itself because it is a memorial resolution rather than substantive legislation. The only potentially sensitive themes are historical and symbolic: Clark’s status as the first African American legislator since Reconstruction, his connection to civil rights organizing, and the resolution’s emphasis on bipartisan cooperation and Mississippi’s racial history. However, the available record shows no disagreement in discussion or voting.