Clarence Thomas was born 43 years ago in a rural area near Savannah. His father deserted the family, and Clarence was raised by his maternal grandparents. Under the direction of his grandfather and the nuns who schooled him, he learned sharecropping, scholarship, and hard labor. He graduated from Morehouse College with an A.B. degree in economics in 1962. He developed into a hybrid product of harsh Southern history and baby-boomer ambition, and a proponent of strength over dependence. His black conservatism made him a favorite of Republican administrations.
Clarence Thomas was born 43 years ago in a rural area near Savannah. His father deserted the family, and Clarence was raised by his maternal grandparents. Under the direction of his grandfather and the nuns who schooled him, he learned sharecropping, scholarship, and hard labor. He was later impressed by Thomas Sowell, a prominent black economist, who advised blacks to pursue economic independence rather than political agitation. He developed into a hybrid product of harsh Southern history and baby-boomer ambition, and a proponent of strength over dependence. His black conservatism made him a favorite of Republican administrations.