Politics in the Archives
Dr. Robert Holmes served as a State Representative in the Georgia
General Assembly from 1975 to 2009. Over the years, he rose to be one of the
most influential members of that body, becoming the first African American to
serve on the Budget Sub-Committee. He served as Director of the Southern Center
for Studies in Public Policy from 1985-2005, headquartered at Clark- Atlanta
University.
Dr. Holmes was also the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois
Institute from 2002-2005, an organization dedicated to maintaining the rich
legacy of
Du Boisian scholarship.
Dr. Holmes completed his PhD in political science at
Columbia University at the age of 25 and went on to hold several prestigious
fellowships, including Fellow, Southern Center for International Studies,
1978-1981. He also served as a Danforth Foundation Associate, 1975-1986.
His collection in the AARL Archives includes photographs, correspondence, records of his
political contributions, committees served on, national boards of directors
served on, speeches, state and national awards; papers presented and published
journal articles.
The collection also highlights his role as a founding member
of one of the first African American running clubs in the southeastern United
States. Holmes has been an avid runner since the early 1970’s.
-Eleanor L. Hunter, Librarian
Auburn Avenue Research Library
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