Former Gov. William Winter, a lifetime advocate of preserving history, said Friday that he will leave the board of trustees of the Department of Archives and History in January.

Winter, 84, a Jackson attorney, joined the nine-member board in 1957. He has been its chairman since 1973.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Winter said. “No public service in which I have been engaged has brought me more pleasure and gratification than my work with the outstanding men and women who have been colleagues on the board and on the staff of the department.”

The Department of Archives and History’s new building was named for Winter in 2003.

Winter’s public service career began in 1948, when he became a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was governor from 1980 to 1984. He also served as lieutenant governor, state treasurer and state tax collector.

Winter’s landmark achievement was the Legislature’s passage of the Education Reform Act of 1982.

His final campaign was came in 1984 — an unsuccessful race against U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Winter has remained active in various political and public policy initiatives since leaving the governor’s office.

Members of the Archives and History Board served staggered six-year terms and are chosen by board members and are confirmed by the state Senate.