Robert Howard "Bob" Claxton was born July 18, 1942, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Robert Ray and Bula Lenora (Adams) Claxton. He received a B.A. degree cum laude in History from Houghton College (New York) in 1962, a M.A. in History from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1964, and a Ph.D. in History from Tulane University in 1970. He was employed as an interim instructor at Houghton College, 1965-1966. In 1967 he became an assistant professor at West Georgia College, was promoted to associate professor in 1975, and to professor in 1988. His teaching emphasis was Latin America and the environment.

From 1976-1980 he served as Coordinator of Environmental Studies. Claxton first put together a minor in Environmental Studies in the 1970s, which ended by 1980 due to lack of enrollment. He also designed the major of Environmental Studies in the 1990s. In 1981 he became Title III [Federal Grant] Coordinator, a position he held until 1984, and also in 1981 he became Coordinator of Sponsored Projects and continued as such until 1990, serving on occasion as interim manager of the Division of Budget and Research Services.

Claxton traveled widely, especially throughout Latin America, and took an active interest in international education on campus, serving as an adviser to international students and as chair of the International Education Committee. From 1989-1993 he was executive director of the Georgia Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations.

From 1980-1988 he edited the West Georgia College Studies in the Social Sciences. From 1989-1993 he edited the Georgia Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Newsletter. In 1993-1994 he edited the Georgia Latin American Studies Consortium Newsletter. For many years he also edited the Department of History Newsletter.

Claxton is the author of The History of the Georgia Conservancy, 1967-1981 (published in 1985), of which he was a member; From Parsifal to Peron: A History of Early Radio in Argentina, 1920-1944,, published in 2007, and A History of the Carrollton Kiwanis Club, published in 2015. He is the author of numerous journal articles.

Claxton was active in many other professional organizations and honorary societies. From 1975-1988 he was faculty adviser to Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, and in 1977 and 1988 was State Convention Coordinator. He was active in the American Association of University Professors and was chapter secretary 1975-1976. He was also a member of the Latin American Studies Association, the South Eastern Council on Latin American Studies, the Conference on Latin American History, and the Latin American Jewish Studies Association. Other memberships included the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, Southern Historical Association, Georgia Association of Historians, Southeastern World History Association, Conference on Faith and History, Council on Peace Research in History, Society for the History of Technology (including Mercurians, an interest group for communications technology history), the American Society for Environmental History, the League of World War I Aviation Historians, Association of Third World Studies, Humanities and Technology Association, Atlanta Preservation Center, Carroll County Cultural Arts Alliance, Georgia Partners of the Americas, and Friends of the McIntosh Reserve, of which he was president 2005-2006.

Claxton was a member of the board of directors of Islandlight Films, Atlanta. He served as the West Georgia College representative on the board of directors of the Georgia Consortium [an international education group]. Claxton is active in the Kiwanis Club of Carrollton. He is a member of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church.

Claxton passed away on March 13, 2019.