Cloves Colbert Campbell Sr.

Descriptive

AliasesCloves CampbellBirth 1931-04-12Death2004-06-19BirthplaceElizabeth, LouisianaFamily RelationsCloves Campbell Jr.AffiliationsDemocratic PartyNAACPArizona State UniversityPhoenix CollegeOccupationsArizona State SenatorArizona State RepresentativePlace of ResidencePhoenix, ArizonaBiographical NoteCloves Campbell Sr. moved to Arizona in 1945 from Louisiana. He attended Phoenix Tech High School and Phoenix College and later worked for APS (then Arizona Light and Power Co.) as a janitor while attending ASU (then Arizona State Teachers College) to become a physical education teacher.

Cloves Campbell Sr. served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1962 to 1966 before becoming the first black state senator in Arizona. He served in the Arizona Senate from 1966 to 1972.

In 1972, he introduced a bill to establish the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, but it failed, and the holiday would not become law in Arizona until 1992 when voters approved the measure.

In addition to his work in the Arizona Legislature, Campbell Sr. purchased the Arizona Informant newspaper with his brother Charles in 1969. The black community-focused newspaper had been established in the 1950s but had not published any issues for several years when the Campbells purchased it. Cloves Campbell's son, Cloves Campbell Jr., would eventually take over as publisher for the newspaper.

Campbell Sr. was also head of the NAACP's Phoenix chapter and is the namesake for the Cloves C. Campbell Elementary School in Phoenix. A scholarship is named for him at Arizona State University.

Campbell Sr. passed away in 2004 after suffering a heart attack in Phoenix. e is buried at Resthaven/Carr-Tenney Mortuary & Memorial Gardens in Phoenix.More InformationWikipediaCloves C. Campbell, Sr.

Image

Arizona State House of Representatives in Phoenix 1963-1964

Members of the 27th Arizona State House of Representatives

Newspaper

Arizona Sun, 1962-09-06

Event

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

From the 27th Arizona House of Representatives taken in Phoenix

AgencyArizona LegislatureCollectionArizona Research TopicsEventMartin Luther King Jr. HolidayBlack History in ArizonaTopicGovernment and PoliticsLawSports

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Cloves Colbert Campbell Sr.