Robert T. Tobin
Encyclopedia
Robert Terry Tobin was an African-American educator who became the first and, to date, only member of his race to have served as mayor
of Minden
, a small city of about 13,000 residents and the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana
. Mayor Tobin's brief nine-month service in 1989 occurred before the 2000 census
confirmed Minden's status as a majority black locality.
. The family moved to Arcadia
, the parish seat, so that the Tobin children could obtain a better education. Young Robert graduated from a black school
in Arcadia, where he met his future wife, Thelma McCoy. At the time of his death, the couple had been married for seventy-six years and had outlived their daughter.
A World War II
veteran of the 78th United States Army Signal Corps
, Tobin was honorably discharged with the rank of technical sergeant
and remained a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
. Studying at Louisiana's Southern University
in Baton Rouge, a historically black institution of higher learning
, and graduating with a major in science and a minor in mathematics, he subsequently attended California's Stanford University
in Palo Alto
, from which he obtained a master of science
degree in science and secondary school supervision. He then entered the teaching profession at Castor Elementary School
in the Bienville Parish village of Castor
, later becoming principal of the school and subsequently transferring, at the invitation of his friend and mentor, Wilbur Leon Hayes, to the then-all-black Webster High School in Minden, where he served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal. Five years after his retirement in 1970 from the field of education, the school was consolidated with the previously white Minden High School
.
, Tobin was elected in 1978 to the Minden City Council
from the predominantly black District A. He defeated J. D. Hampton (born ca. 1935), 519 (67 percent) to 255 (33 percent). In 1966, Hampton became the first black official to run for the office of Minden mayor when he unsuccessfully challenged Frank T. Norman
in the party primary. Hampton was also the complainant in the Webster Parish school desegregation
case promoted by his United Christian Freedom Movement. Tobin was reelected to city council without opposition in 1982 and 1986. In February 1989, the council appointed him, at the age of 78, as mayor to succeed Democrat Noel "Gene" Byars, who was recall
ed amid controversy over charging the municipality for personal expenses.
In the special election for mayor held later in 1989, Tobin ran first with 1,545 votes. Republican
Paul A. Brown
, a relative newcomer to Minden, trailed slightly with 1,509 ballots while future mayor Bill Robertson and Peggy J. Staples (1933–2009), the first woman ever to have served on the Minden City Council, followed with 1,028 and 452 ballots, respectively. In the runoff
campaign, Brown defeated Tobin, but held the post for only a year, as Robertson rebounded in 1990 to claim the mayor's office for a full term and has served as mayor ever since, having been reelected to a fifth four-year term in 2006.
, Kiwanis Club, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
. As he approached his 97th birthday and 76th wedding anniversary, the couple was profiled in the September 2007 issue of Jet
magazine
, which was on newsstands at the time of his death.
Robert Tobin died in Minden three days after his 97th birthday and was honored with two services on September 17: at the St. Rest Baptist
Church in Minden, where Tobin was a deacon
and a Sunday school
teacher, and at the New Prosperity Baptist Church in Lucky. Interment was at the New Prosperity Baptist Church Garden of Memories in Lucky. He often said: "By the Grace of God, I have come this far, and He will surely lead me on."
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, a small city of about 13,000 residents and the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Mayor Tobin's brief nine-month service in 1989 occurred before the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
confirmed Minden's status as a majority black locality.
Early years and service as an educator
Robert Tobin was the second of seven children born to Nat Tobin and his wife, Jane Patterson (1894–1982), in Louisiana's Bienville Parish village of LuckyLucky, Louisiana
Lucky is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 355 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lucky is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of...
. The family moved to Arcadia
Arcadia, Louisiana
Arcadia is a town in and the parish seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,041 at the 2000 census....
, the parish seat, so that the Tobin children could obtain a better education. Young Robert graduated from a black school
Black school
Black schools originated under legal segregation in the southern United States after the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, in southern states' public policy to keep races separated and maintain white supremacy. In the United States white opposition to African American success resulted in...
in Arcadia, where he met his future wife, Thelma McCoy. At the time of his death, the couple had been married for seventy-six years and had outlived their daughter.
A World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran of the 78th United States Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
, Tobin was honorably discharged with the rank of technical sergeant
Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant is the name of one current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States military.-United States Air Force:Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is...
and remained a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
. Studying at Louisiana's Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
in Baton Rouge, a historically black institution of higher learning
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
, and graduating with a major in science and a minor in mathematics, he subsequently attended California's Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, from which he obtained a master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in science and secondary school supervision. He then entered the teaching profession at Castor Elementary School
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in the Bienville Parish village of Castor
Castor, Louisiana
Castor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
, later becoming principal of the school and subsequently transferring, at the invitation of his friend and mentor, Wilbur Leon Hayes, to the then-all-black Webster High School in Minden, where he served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal. Five years after his retirement in 1970 from the field of education, the school was consolidated with the previously white Minden High School
Minden High School (Minden, Louisiana)
Minden High School is the public secondary educational institution in Minden, a small city of 13,000 and the seat of Webster Parish located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana...
.
Political career
A DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Tobin was elected in 1978 to the Minden City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
from the predominantly black District A. He defeated J. D. Hampton (born ca. 1935), 519 (67 percent) to 255 (33 percent). In 1966, Hampton became the first black official to run for the office of Minden mayor when he unsuccessfully challenged Frank T. Norman
Frank T. Norman
Francis Toadvin Norman, known as Frank T. Norman , was a Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1958-1966. From 1952-1958, Norman had served on the Minden City Council as the then public safety commissioner under the since disbanded...
in the party primary. Hampton was also the complainant in the Webster Parish school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
case promoted by his United Christian Freedom Movement. Tobin was reelected to city council without opposition in 1982 and 1986. In February 1989, the council appointed him, at the age of 78, as mayor to succeed Democrat Noel "Gene" Byars, who was recall
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
ed amid controversy over charging the municipality for personal expenses.
In the special election for mayor held later in 1989, Tobin ran first with 1,545 votes. Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Paul A. Brown
Paul A. Brown
Paul Aaron Brown was only the second Republican since Reconstruction to have served as mayor of the small north Louisiana city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish. Brown served an unexpired term created by the recall of Democratic Mayor Noel "Gene" Byars...
, a relative newcomer to Minden, trailed slightly with 1,509 ballots while future mayor Bill Robertson and Peggy J. Staples (1933–2009), the first woman ever to have served on the Minden City Council, followed with 1,028 and 452 ballots, respectively. In the runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
campaign, Brown defeated Tobin, but held the post for only a year, as Robertson rebounded in 1990 to claim the mayor's office for a full term and has served as mayor ever since, having been reelected to a fifth four-year term in 2006.
Retirement and death at the age of 97
In retirement, Tobin devoted a year to building his house and occupied his time with traveling and fishing. He was a member of civic and professional organizations, including the Webster Association of Retired Teachers, Louisiana Association of Educators, National Association of Educators, Phi Delta KappaPhi Delta Kappa
Phi Delta Kappa is an US professional organization for educators. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. It was founded on 24 January 1906. Phi Delta Kappa also had a youth organization, called Xinos, girls, and Kudos, guys.-Membership:Currently, membership consists of students,...
, Kiwanis Club, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
. As he approached his 97th birthday and 76th wedding anniversary, the couple was profiled in the September 2007 issue of Jet
Jet (magazine)
Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, which was on newsstands at the time of his death.
Robert Tobin died in Minden three days after his 97th birthday and was honored with two services on September 17: at the St. Rest Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Minden, where Tobin was a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
and a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher, and at the New Prosperity Baptist Church in Lucky. Interment was at the New Prosperity Baptist Church Garden of Memories in Lucky. He often said: "By the Grace of God, I have come this far, and He will surely lead me on."