Cloves Campbell Sr., 73; Owned Arizona’s Oldest Black Newspaper

Cloves Campbell Sr., 73, co-owner of Arizona’s oldest black newspaper, died Friday after suffering a heart attack in the newspaper’s Phoenix office.

Campbell, who moved to Arizona with his family in 1945, overcame poverty and segregation to become a politician. He served four years in the state House of Representatives and in 1966 became the first black state senator to serve in Arizona.

In 1969, Campbell and his brother bought the Informant, which was founded in 1957 but had not been published for several years. They turned it into one of the largest weeklies in the state.

Campbell was blinded by diabetes 10 years ago but insisted on being driven to work every day. His son, Cloves Campbell Jr., is the publisher of the Informant.