HOLLY SPRINGS, MS – Congressman James E. Clyburn is the Assistant Democratic
Leader in the United States House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Faith
Working Group. He previously served in the post from 2011 to 2018 and served as Majority Whip
from 2007 to 2010 and 2019 to 2022, making him the first African American to serve multiple
terms as Majority Whip. A native son of South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn has represented the state’s
Sixth Congressional District since 1993.
Congressman Clyburn’s humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina, as the eldest son of
an activist, fundamentalist minister and an independent, civic-minded beautician, grounded him
securely in family, faith, and public service. A 1961 graduate of South Carolina State, he began his
professional career as a public-school teacher in Charleston, SC.
He later served as an employment counselor, and director of two youth and community
development programs. In 1971, he joined the staff of Governor John C. West, becoming the first
African American advisor to a South Carolina governor. In 1974 Governor West appointed him
South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner where he served until 1992 when he retired from
state government to run for Congress.
When he came to Congress in 1993, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his
freshman class. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Vice
Chair, and Chair, of the House Democratic Caucus. From 2011 to 2018, he served as Assistant
Democratic Leader. In addition to having served as Whip, Congressman Clyburn also served as
Chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
Congressman Clyburn has led efforts to preserve and restore historic buildings on the
campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). He sponsored legislation
creating the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage
Corridor, the Congaree National Park, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and
expanding the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site to South Carolina, Virginia,
Delaware and Washington, DC.
Dedicated to making America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all citizens, his 10-
20-30 federal funding formula – initially applied to three programs in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 – has been expanded to 15 accounts of the appropriations
bills. Additionally, his Rural Energy Savings Program provides loans to families and businesses to
implement durable, cost-effective energy efficiency measures. His “Accessible, Affordable
Broadband for All” bill was included in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill and is funded at a
level of $65 billion.
The recipient of 36 honorary degrees, Congressman Clyburn’s numerous awards include:
the Lyndon Baines Johnson Liberty and Justice for All Award in 2015; the Harry S Truman
Foundation’s Good Neighbor Award in 2021; and the NAACP’s highest honor – the Spingarn
Medal – in 2022. His endorsement of Joe Biden for president in 2020 is credited with boosting him
to an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina and subsequent primaries and setting Biden on
path to the presidency.
Congressman Clyburn and his late wife, Emily England Clyburn, met as college-student
protestors in an Orangeburg, South Carolina jail in 1960. The encounter led to a 58-year marriage,
and they became parents of three daughters, grandparents to four grandchildren, and great
grandparents to one great grandchild.
About Rust College
Rust College is the oldest most prestigious historically black college in Mississippi founded in
1866 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Offering degree programs
in business, education, humanities, science and mathematics, and social science. Rust College
equips and inspires students for excellence and service in their communities and throughout the
world. Located in Holly Springs, MS, just 35 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Rust College
is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
For more information about Rust College, call (662) 252-8000, ext. 4915, cell (662) 544-0950or visitwww.rustcollege.edu
