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 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 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 masters degree in school administration in 1965. 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 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.
Career
Local politics
In 1971, Dearing ran for a seat on the Adams CountyBoard of Supervisors from the 2nd district, but was defeated by A. Boyd Sojourner. He was defeated by Sojourner again in 1975. In 1981, he was elected to a three-year term on the Delta State University Foundation Board of Directors.
Mississippi Senate
Elections
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 1987, he won reelection. In 1991, he won reelection without opposition. In 1995, he defeated Charles Ravencraft in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Erle Drane in the general election. On January 3, 2019, Dearing announced that he would not seek reelection.
Tenure
In 1984, Dearing was appointed to serve as the vice chairman of the Corrections committee. In 1988, he was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Municipalities committee. 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 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. 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.
Death
Dearing died in Natchez, Mississippi, on July 30, 2020, at the age of 85. On August 8, he will be buried in the Natchez City Cemetery.
Political positions and legislation
In 1980, Dearing was one of four state senators, including Ed Ellington, Wayne Burkes, and Howard Dyer, to receive a 100% rating from the League of Women Voters. In 1984, he wrote a resolution, which was unanimously supported by the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives, requesting CBS to not cancel 'The Mississippi', a television show which was filmed in Natchez.
Gambling
In 1990, Dearing introduced legislation that would allow riverboat gambling along the Mississippi River. On February 2, the Mississippi Senate voted 23 to 21 in favor of the legislation, and the House Ways and Means committee voted to advance the bill on February 22. On March 7, the Mississippi House of Representatives voted 66 to 52 in favor of an amended version of the legislation which was approved by the Mississippi Senate, by a vote of 22 to 20. On March 20, Governor Ray Mabus signed the legislation into law and riverboat gambling became legal in Mississippi on April 1.
Religion
In 1987, Dearing co-sponsored a resolution asking for the United States Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to allow prayer in schools. On March 30, 1994, the Mississippi Senate voted 41 to 9, with Dearing in favor, in favor of legislation that would allow prayer at school and school events only if the prayer was initiated by students.
Taxation
In 1990, Dearing, Barbara Blanton, Buddy Bond, and Bill Renick introduced legislation that would increase the sales tax from 6¢ to 7¢ and use the 1¢ increase to pay for an education reform bill. The Mississippi Senate voted 28 to 22 in favor of the legislation. On March 6, 1995, the Mississippi Senate voted 30 to 15, with Dearing against, in favor of a constitutional amendment that would prohibit courts in Mississippi from forcing tax increases. During the 1995 elections the ballot initiative, under the name Amendment Number One, was approved.
