Robert Clayton Henry (July 16, 1921 – September 8, 1981) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as Mayor of Springfield, Ohio from 1966 to 1968 as one of the first black mayors of a midwestern city; however, this achievement is frequently overshadowed by fellow

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

mayor Carl B. Stokes, who was elected mayor of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

in 1967.

Biography

Henry was born in Springfield, a son of Guy Henry and Nellie Reed. He attended

Wittenberg University Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical ...

in Springfield and the Cleveland College of Mortuary Science in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

for his degree in mortuary studies. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-y ...

in 1968.Springfield City SchoolsAlumni Of Distinction Award Program NEWS RELEASE
/ref> Henry was elected to Springfield's city commission in 1961, and began his term in January 1962. The commission then appointed him as the city's mayor in 1966, succeeding Maurice K. Baach, the city's first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mayor. In 1968, he refused to run for re-election (his successor, Betty Brunk, was Springfield's first female mayor), but remained on the city commission. After finishing his term as mayor, Henry was selected as a member of a fact-finding commission to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

by order of then-president,

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

, and later returned in 1970 under

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

to inspect non-military activities. In 1972, he was the Republican Party nominee for the 60th District seat in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

, but lost in the general election. Aside from his political career, Henry was also the owner and operator of the Robert C. Henry Funeral Home, founded in 1951. He also continued to serve as head of charity drives and numerous civic organizations in the Springfield area. He was honored by a parade and banquet in Springfield on Robert C. Henry Day during

Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...

. A fountain in downtown Springfield was dedicated to his memory, and a retirement home complex also bears his name. Henry died in 1981 after a battle with cancer. His remains are interred in Ferncliff Cemetery Mausoleum. Henry's former son-in-law,

Tim Ayers Timothy Frederick Ayers (born November 19, 1958) served as Mayor and City Commissioner of Springfield, Ohio from 1984 to 1990.List of mayors of Springfield, Ohio The following is a list of mayors of the city of Springfield, Ohio, United States. Presidents * Edward H. Cumming, 1834 * W. V. A. Cushing, 1835 * Samson Hubble, 1836 * Reuben Miller, 1837-1840 * John Murdock, 1841 * William Moore, 1842-18 ...

References

External links

Robert C. Henry – Ohio History Central

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Robert C. 1921 births 1981 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Ohio African-American mayors in Ohio American funeral directors Politicians from Springfield, Ohio Deaths from cancer in Ohio Ohio Republicans 20th-century African-American politicians Wittenberg University alumni