1812Government
It was named for the plantation home of Walter Leake, third governor of Mississippi, which was located in Clinton and built in 1812.
1822Architecture
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.
1823Government
== History ==
Founded in 1823, Clinton was originally known as Mt.
1826Government
It was founded January 24, 1826, as Hampstead Academy, the second male college in the state after Jefferson College.
1828Government
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.
1831Government
The Clinton-Vicksburg Railroad was the second oldest in the state, incorporated in 1831.
1853Government
Hillman College, originally for women, was founded in 1853 as Central Female Institute, supported by the Central Baptist Association.
1863Military
Grant and Sherman—briefly occupied Clinton on their way to the Battle of Vicksburg in May 1863.
1875Government
Mount Hermon Female Seminary, a historically black college, was established in 1875 by Sarah Ann Dickey.
1876Government
But election-related violence continued through the fall and, together with fraud at the polls, resulted in white Democrats regaining control of the state legislature and, in 18...
1877Military
This political shift signaled the end of the Reconstruction era, confirmed when the federal government withdrew remaining troops in 1877.
1891History
It changed its name in 1891.
1924Education
It closed in 1924 as students moved to co-educational institutions.
2002Military
Clinton, the smallest city to ever host a Fortune 500 company, was the headquarters for WorldCom from the mid-1990s until 2002.
2003Culture
In 2003 the company announced that it would move its headquarters to Virginia.
2009Economy
Automotive component manufacturer Delphi Corporation operated a plant in Clinton from the early 1970s until its closure in 2009, making cable and wiring connectors.
2011Disaster
On April 15, 2011, an EF3 tornado struck the city at about 11:00 am.
2018Culture
In 2018 the Clinton city government, citing problems with the sanitary condition, closed the library.
2020Disaster
However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed again for over two months.
2025Government
As of July 1, 2025, Will Purdie is the city's mayor.