Bob Dearing

Robert Montgomery Dearing (January 26, 1935July 30, 2020) was an American politician, educator, and businessman who served in the Mississippi Senate as a member of the Democratic Party.

Dearing grew up in Natchez, Mississippi, and graduated from Delta State University and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Robert Montgomery Dearing was born on January 26, 1935, in Natchez, Mississippi, to Weenonah Montgomery and Robert V. Dearing.

He graduated from Natchez High School.

From 1953 to 1957, he attended Delta State Teachers College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in education, and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master's degree in school administration in 1965.

From 1958 to 1961, Dearing served in the Mississippi National Guard, from 1961 to 1962, he served in the United States Army, and served in the national guard again from 1962 to 1964.

From 1958 to 1964, he taught and coached in the Natchez public school system and was an elementary principal from 1965 to 1966.

In 1966, Dearing was named as Outstanding Young Man of the Year by the Natchez Jaycees.

In the 1970s he became active in politics with unsuccessful campaigns for a seat on the Adams County Board of Supervisors.

In 1971, Dearing ran for a seat on the Adams County Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district, but was defeated by A. Boyd Sojourner.

He was defeated by Sojourner again in 1975.

In 1979, he was elected to the Mississippi Senate until he was defeated by Melanie Sojourner, but Dearing would later defeat Sojourner and decided to not run for reelection.

On August 7, 1979, Dearing won the Democratic nomination for a seat in the Mississippi Senate from the 38th district and won in the general election.

In 1983, he won reelection against Republican nominee Jack Templeton in the 37th district.

In 1984, Dearing was appointed to serve as the vice chairman of the Corrections committee.

In 1987, he won reelection.

In 1988, he was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Municipalities committee.

In 1991, he won reelection without opposition.

In 1992, he was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Forestry committee.

In 1993, he was appointed to serve as chairman of the Fees and Salaries committee.

In 1995, he defeated Charles Ravencraft in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Erle Drane in the general election.

In 1996, he was appointed to serve as chairman of the Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources committee and as a member of the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review committee.

In 1997, Dearing was named as the Outstanding Alumnus of 1997 by Delta State University.

Dearing married Shelley Paige Ditzler, with whom he had three children.

In 1997, Dearing was appointed to the Southern States Energy Board by Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove.

In 1999, he defeated Scott Pintard in the Democratic primary and won reelection without opposition in the general election.

In 2000, he was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Highways and Transportation committee.

In 2003, and 2007, he won reelection without opposition.

In 2004, he was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Oil, Gas and Other Minerals committee.

During the 2008–2011 session of the Mississippi Senate, he served on the Economic Development, Finance, Highways and Transportation, Insurance, Public Health and Welfare, Oil, Gas and Other Minerals, and Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committees.

(Sojourner's granddaughter Melanie Sojourner would later defeat Dearing in the 2011 election for the state Senate.) In 1981, he was elected to a three-year term on the Delta State University Foundation Board of Directors.

During the 2011 elections Dearing started with no money in his campaign war chest as the $5,800 he raised during 2010 was spent by the end of that year.

In the general election he was defeated by Republican nominee Melanie Sojourner.

In 2015, Dearing ran against Sojourner and narrowly defeated her with 8,218 to 8,154 votes.

Sojourner claimed that there were illegalities and irregularities with the election and attempted to have the Mississippi Senate vote to seat her instead of Dearing.

On January 18, 2016, the Mississippi Senate voted 47 to 3 to seat Dearing and he was inaugurated on the same day.

In 2016, he was appointed to serve as the vice chairman of the Public Property committee.

On January 3, 2019, Dearing announced that he would not seek reelection.

Sojourner won in the election to succeed Dearing and took office on January 7, 2020.

Dearing died in Natchez, Mississippi, on July 30, 2020, at the age of 85.