Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the 10th most populous city in Mississippi. The population was 28,100 at the 2020 United States census.

History

thumb|left|Camp Clinton entrance in 1943. The sign reads "Prisoner of War Camp Clinton, Miss."

thumb|right|[[The Cedars (Clinton, Mississippi)|The Cedars in Clinton is listed on the National Register of Historic Places]]

Founded in 1823, Clinton was originally known as Mt. Salus, which means "Mountain of health". It was named for the plantation home of Walter Leake, third governor of Mississippi, which was located in Clinton and built in 1812. The road east from Vicksburg was completed to Mount Salus and the federal government located the United States General Land Office at Mount Salus in 1822. The original federal survey in 1822 references a spring called "Swafford's Spring" at the site of the town. In 1828, the city changed its name to Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton, the former governor of New York who led completion of the Erie Canal.

The first road through Mount Salus/Clinton was the Natchez Trace, improved from a centuries-old Native American path. Currently Clinton has three major highways that pass through the city: the Natchez Trace Parkway, U.S. Route 80, and Interstate 20.

Mississippi College, a Christian university located in Clinton, is the oldest college in the state of Mississippi. It was founded January 24, 1826, as Hampstead Academy, the second male college in the state after Jefferson College. Cotton from three surrounding counties was shipped through Clinton and by rail to Grand Gulf on the Mississippi.

During the Civil War, Confederate forces, as well as Union troops— the latter commanded by generals Ulysses S. Grant and Sherman—briefly occupied Clinton on their way to the Battle of Vicksburg in May 1863. Grant had mistakenly believed that John C. Pemberton, a Confederate general, would attack him at Clinton. Grant finally took Vicksburg in this campaign.

Clinton Massacre

In September 1875 during the election campaign, a Republican political rally was held in downtown Clinton, where 3,000 people were gathered expecting Governor Adelbert Ames and other prominent speakers. White insurgents disrupted the rally, attacking blacks with guns. It resulted in the deaths of several white men and an estimated 50 blacks later that night and over the next few days. Despite the organized nature of the attack, it is sometimes referred to as the "Clinton Riot". More armed whites arrived by train and attacked blacks.

Whites had been attacking black and white Republicans in every election cycle, and that year the paramilitary Red Shirts arose in the state as a force to intimidate blacks and suppress black voting.

Geography

According to the 2010 United States census, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Clinton had a population of 28,100. The median age was 36.0 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 10,522 households in Clinton, and the census reported 6,187 families; 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 14,516 || 51.7%

|-

| Black or African American || 10,754 || 38.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 55 || 0.2%

|-

| Asian || 1,294 || 4.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 9 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 439 || 1.6%

|-

| Two or more races || 1,033 || 3.7%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 785 || 2.8%

|}

Government

Clinton operates as a code charter form of government, divided into six Wards. The local governing body consists of the mayor, one Alderman representing each of the six Wards and one Alderman-at-Large whose duty is to represent the entire community.

As of July 1, 2025, Will Purdie is the city's mayor.

Economy

At one point WorldCom (now Verizon) was headquartered in Clinton. In 2003 the company announced that it would move its headquarters to Virginia.

Automotive component manufacturer Delphi Corporation operated a plant in Clinton from the early 1970s until its closure in 2009, making cable and wiring connectors. When Delphi closed the plant in late 2009, with the loss of 280 jobs, production moved to Delphi's Warren, Ohio facility.

Education

Universities and colleges

  • Mississippi College founded 1826, incorporating Hillman College 1853–1942
  • The local community college is Hinds Community College.

Primary and secondary schools

The city of Clinton's public schools are served by the Clinton Public School District, including Clinton Park (Grades Pre-K - 1), Northside (Grades 2nd - 3rd), Eastside (Grades 4 - 5), Lovett (Grade 6), Clinton Jr High (Grades 7 - 8), Sumner Hill (Grade 9) and Clinton High School (Grades 10 through 12 | ALL SCHOOLS ARE IN CLINTON MISSISSIPPI)

Public library

Jackson/Hinds Library System operates the Quisenberry Library in Clinton. In 2018 the Clinton city government, citing problems with the sanitary condition, closed the library. It stated that it would reopen if the library system revised the terms of the library lease.

The library later reopened. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed again for over two months. It reopened once more to the public on June 5, 2020, with public health and safety precautions in effect.

Sports

The Mississippi Brilla is a soccer team competing in USL League Two (PDL), the fourth highest league of the American Soccer Pyramid, and playing in the Mid-South Division of the Southern Conference. They play their home games at Traceway Park in the city of Clinton.

Notable people

  • Cam Akers – Professional football player
  • Mandy Ashford – singer, model, and member of Innosense.
  • Lance Bass – pop singer, actor and producer; member of the pop group *NSYNC
  • William Joel Blass – jurist, legislator, and lawyer
  • Charles Hillman Brough – governor of Arkansas from 1917 to 1921, was born in Clinton
  • Jon Brown – NFL kicker
  • Keith Carlock, jazz drummer and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee
  • Cynthia F. Cooper – auditor, whistleblower
  • Ted DiBiase, Sr. – professional wrestler, minister
  • Ted DiBiase, Jr. – professional wrestler
  • Dominic Douglas – professional football player
  • Bernard Ebbers – Canadian businessman and the co-founder and CEO of WorldCom.
  • Jenna Edwards – model, former Miss Teen All-American, former Miss Florida
  • Meredith Edwards – country music singer
  • Shelly Fairchild – country music singer
  • Taryn Foshee – 2006 Miss Mississippi
  • Edgar Godbold – Mississippi College biology professor from 1906 to 1912
  • James E. Graves, Jr. – United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge
  • Phillip Gunn – former Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives
  • Barry Hannah – writer, professor
  • Beth Holloway – author and mother of Natalee Holloway
  • Natalee Holloway – unsolved disappearance
  • Jaret Holmes – former placekicker (various teams)
  • Niesa Johnson – two time All-American, Professional Basketball Player
  • Daniel Curtis Lee – actor
  • Rory Lee – former vice president and interim president of Mississippi College
  • Robert S. McElvaine – writer, professor
  • Crystal Renn, plus-size model
  • Scott Savage – former drummer of Grammy and Dove award-winning band Jars of Clay
  • Leon Seals – former Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle
  • Jerod Ward – Former professional basketball player

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References

  • City website
  • Journal entry of German POW General Hermann Bernhard Ramcke regarding his time at Camp Clinton
  • US Census Bureau Data on Clinton, Mississippi
  • City-Data: Clinton, Mississippi