Clayton to lead SHSM for a three-year term

Hannibal native, Robert Clayton III. has been elected to a three-year term as president of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Contributed photo.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

In November, Hannibal native, Judge Robert Clayton III, who has served as a trustee for the State Historical Society of Missouri since 2013, was elected to the role of president of the state agency. He will serve a three-year term in this capacity.

Clayton is a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District, with his home base in Hannibal.

The society is affiliated with the University of Missouri-Columbia, with its own building and budget.

“In essence it is a library,” Clayton said, “it is a historical library, research facility and an art gallery.

“I joined the board of trustees in 2011,” Clayton said, “and I’ve been a member of the organization from back when I was first elected in 1995 to the Missouri House of Representatives.”

He developed an interest in Missouri history at a young age, listening to stories told by his grandmother (Marietta Gentry Clayton) and his aunt, (Susan Clayton Stark) about his ancestors who were prominent in Missouri politics.

His first interaction with State Historical Society of Missouri took place when he approached the agency, asking for information regarding his family’s political involvement. “They sent back a reply and four pages of genealogy, and showed me how to go look for information.”

Clayton is especially proud of the facility at Columbia that has evolved during his affiliation. The state appropriated money to construct a modern building, which is easily assessable for history research and education, Clayton said.

Among the artwork housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri is the “Year of Peril” series by Thomas Hart Benton, created between 1941 and 1943; and works by George Caleb Bingham, including “Gen. Order No. 11,” an 1869/70 Civil War painting.

“Personally, I’ve just touched the surface,” of the vastness of the society’s holdings. “I’ve been exposed to the size and the quality of the collection; we have artwork that is worth millions of dollars. We have William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, his diary when he went up the Missouri River.”

The facility is located across from Peace Park in Columbia, in the Missouri Center for Missouri Studies.

“I want to continue what we’ve been doing,” Clayton said. He plans to work closely with new executive director, Joel Rhodes, “to see him get on a firm footing with his vision for the next chapter.”

Clayton, in looking toward his new role, knows he has big shoes to fill.

He is the second Hannibal man to serve in this capacity. The first was George Mahan, (1851-1936) who served as the society’s president during the 1920s-1930s. Mahan, a recognized authority of Hannibal’s most famed author, Mark Twain, was responsible for the purchase of the home where Sam Clemens spent his boyhood, and establishing it as a literary shrine dedicated to the perpetuity of the great author’s legacy.

One project that the State Historical Society of Missouri is involved with is the digitizing of Missouri newspapers.

“We did 50,000 pages last year,” he said, “we are trying to catch up.” These newspaper pages are accessible via newspapers.com

“Some things haven’t been digitized,” including the diary of J.P. Richards, who ran an abstract company in Hannibal. “In his diary he writes about (his memories) of the wedding of my great-great grandparents. He mentions that the only person still alive (at the time he wrote the diary entry) was Pamela Clemens (Moffett, 1827-1904), Mark Twain’s sister.

“I’m intimidated by the amount of material,” available via the society, Clayton said. “Some is digitized and easily searchable; some is still on microfilm.

“I’m honored that historians have entrusted this organization to me for the next three years. I’ve never been a true historian, but it is an enormous responsibility and I take it seriously.”