Henry M. Jackson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry M. Jackson
Official portrait of Jackson as Int. Cmte Chair, 1966
United States Senator from Washington
In office January 3, 1953 – September 1, 1983
Preceded by	Harry P. Cain
Succeeded by	Daniel J. Evans
28th Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office July 17, 1960 – January 21, 1961
Preceded by	Paul Butler
Succeeded by	John Moran Bailey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	Monrad Wallgren
Succeeded by	Jack Westland
Personal details
Born	Henry Martin Jackson (1912-05-31)May 31, 1912 Everett, Washington, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1983(1983-09-01) (aged 71) Everett, Washington, U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Helen Hardin ​ (m. 1961)​
Education	Stanford University (BA) University of Washington (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Battles/wars	World War II

Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson (May 31, 1912 – September 1, 1983) was an American politician. He was a lawyer and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1941 to 1953. Later, he became a U.S. Senator from 1953 to 1983, representing the state of Washington.

Jackson was a Democrat who believed in a strong military. He took a firm stance against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. At the same time, he strongly supported social programs, civil rights, and workers' unions.

Born in Everett, Washington, to Norwegian immigrant parents, Jackson became a lawyer. He was elected to Congress in 1940. In 1953, he won a Senate seat. Jackson was a key supporter of major civil rights laws in the 1960s. He also wrote the National Environmental Policy Act. This important law made sure that environmental impacts were studied before big projects. He also helped create the Jackson–Vanik amendment. This law made it harder for the U.S. to trade with countries that limited their citizens' freedom to leave.

Jackson led the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 1963 to 1981. He tried to become the Democratic candidate for president twice, in 1972 and 1976, but was not successful. He passed away in 1983 while still serving in the Senate.

Jackson's political ideas focused on civil rights, human rights, and protecting the environment. He also strongly opposed totalitarianism, especially communism. Many important figures in a political movement called neoconservatism were influenced by Jackson. These include Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, who both worked for him. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation was started in 1983 to continue his work.

Early Life and Education

Henry Martin Jackson was born in Everett, Washington, on May 31, 1912. His parents, Marine and Peter Jackson, had moved to the U.S. from Norway. Henry was the youngest of their five children. His sister gave him the nickname "Scoop" when he was a child. She thought he looked like a character from a comic strip.

He attended Stanford University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, he studied law at the University of Washington School of Law. There, he earned his Juris Doctor degree.

Early Career and Family

After finishing law school in 1935, Jackson became a lawyer in Everett. He quickly became successful. From 1938 to 1940, he served as the prosecuting attorney for Snohomish County. In this role, he gained recognition for prosecuting people involved in illegal alcohol sales and gambling.

In 1961, Jackson married Helen Hardin. She was 28 years old and worked as a Senate receptionist. They had two children, Anna Marie Laurence and Peter Jackson. Peter later became a speechwriter for Governor Christine Gregoire.

Serving in Congress

Jackson was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1940. He began his term on January 3, 1941. After this first election, Jackson never lost another congressional election.

He joined the Army during World War II. However, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered all representatives to return to their duties or resign. Jackson visited the Buchenwald concentration camp shortly after it was freed in 1945. He also attended international conferences about shipping. From 1945 to 1947, he chaired the Committee on Indian Affairs.

In 1952, Jackson ran for a Senate seat in Washington. He easily defeated the Republican senator, Harry P. Cain. He served as a senator for more than 30 years. He was the first U.S. senator from Washington to be born in the state. Jackson passed away in office in 1983, after winning his fifth re-election in 1982.

Jackson disagreed with the extreme actions of Joe McCarthy. However, he also felt President Dwight Eisenhower was not spending enough on national defense. Jackson pushed for more inter-continental ballistic missiles. His support for nuclear weapons led to some opposition in 1958. Despite this, he won re-election easily with 67 percent of the vote. He continued to win by large margins in his next four elections.

During the 1960 Democratic presidential primary, Senator John F. Kennedy considered Jackson as his running mate. However, Kennedy decided a Southerner would balance the ticket better. Lyndon B. Johnson was chosen instead.

Jackson had a very strong record on civil rights. He supported the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Water Resources Planning Act into law. He praised Jackson for his important contributions to America's future. In April 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson spoke about inequality.

From 1963 to 1981, Jackson chaired the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. This committee later became the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. In the 1970s, Jackson worked with other senators to oppose President Gerald Ford's plan. Ford wanted to end price controls on domestic oil, which had caused gasoline shortages during the 1973 Oil Crisis.

Jackson wrote the National Environmental Policy Act. This law is considered one of the most important environmental laws ever. It encouraged other states and countries to study environmental impacts. Jackson also helped lead the fight for statehood for Alaska and Hawaii. In 1974, he sponsored the Jackson–Vanik amendment in the Senate. This law denied normal trade relations to countries that limited their citizens' freedom to leave. It was especially meant to help Jewish people leave the Soviet Bloc.

Jackson also led the opposition within the Democratic Party against the SALT II treaty. He was a strong supporter of increasing foreign aid to Israel. For many years, Democrats who supported a strong U.S. presence in the world were called "Scoop Jackson Democrats." This term is still used today for politicians like Joe Lieberman.

Jackson served almost his entire Senate career with his friend and colleague, Warren G. Magnuson. Together, they brought significant benefits to their home state of Washington. Washington received a large share of public works funding, even though it was not among the most populated states.

Criticisms of Jackson's Views

Jackson was known as a "hawkish" Democrat. This means he often favored strong military action. He was sometimes criticized for supporting the Vietnam War. He also had close ties to defense companies in his state. Opponents sometimes called him "the senator from Boeing" because he consistently supported military spending. In 1965, 80% of Boeing's contracts were military.

After his death, some critics pointed to Jackson's support for Japanese American internment camps during World War II. He had also supported keeping Japanese-Americans from returning to the Pacific Coast after the war. This led to protests when a bust of him was placed at the University of Washington.

Presidential Campaigns

Jackson was successful in Washington state politics. He also gained national recognition. In 1960, he became chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Jackson ran for president twice. Both campaigns faced strong opposition from the left wing of the Democratic Party. While he was very good at campaigning one-on-one in Washington, this skill did not work as well on the national stage. Even his supporters felt he lacked some charisma.

1972 Presidential Campaign

Jackson was not well-known nationally when he first ran for president in 1972. George McGovern, who later won the nomination, even accused Jackson of racism. This was because Jackson opposed busing, even though he had a long history of supporting civil rights. Jackson's best result was a distant third place in the Florida primary. He struggled to stand out among other well-known candidates. He ended his active campaign in May after poor results in early primaries.

Jackson reappeared at the Democratic convention in August. His name was put forward by Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. Jackson finished second in the delegate count, far behind the nominee, McGovern.

1976 Presidential Campaign

Jackson became more well-known nationally by speaking often about U.S.-Soviet relations and Middle East policy. He was considered a leading candidate when he announced his campaign in February 1975. Jackson received a lot of financial support from Jewish-Americans who liked his pro-Israel views. However, his support for the Vietnam War caused hostility from the left wing of the Democratic Party.

Jackson focused his campaign on social issues. He emphasized law and order and his opposition to busing. He hoped for support from labor unions. However, because Hubert Humphrey might enter the race, unions only gave lukewarm support.

Jackson decided not to compete in the early Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Jimmy Carter won these contests. Although Jackson won the Massachusetts and New York primaries, he dropped out on May 1. He lost the important Pennsylvania primary to Carter and ran out of money.

Death

Jackson's home on Grand Avenue in Everett

On September 1, 1983, Jackson suddenly passed away in Everett. He died from an aortic aneurysm at age 71. This happened shortly after he gave a press conference criticizing the Soviet attack on Korean Air Lines Flight 007. News videos showed him rubbing the left side of his chest while speaking. People wondered if this was an early sign of his fatal attack.

Jackson's death was widely mourned. New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan spoke highly of him. Jackson is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Everett.

Legacy and Influence

• Jackson was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 after his death. This is one of the highest civilian awards in the U.S.
• One of Jackson's last actions as Senator was to support a law creating what became the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. It was named after him after he passed away.
• The Henry M. Jackson Foundation was also created by his former staff, colleagues, and family. It gives grants to non-profit and educational groups.
• The University of Washington named its Jackson School of International Studies in his honor.
• The U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine Henry M. Jackson was named after him. This recognized his long-standing support for the nation's military. It is the only Ohio-class submarine not named after a U.S. state.
• In 1983, the Snohomish County Public Utility District began operating the Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project.
• Henry M. Jackson High School was built in Mill Creek, Washington, in 1994.
• The Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area was created in his honor in 1984.
• The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs gives a Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award. This award honors people dedicated to U.S. national security.

Influence on Neoconservatism

Jackson believed that evil should be faced with strength. His support for civil rights at home and his opposition to easing tensions with the Soviet Union inspired many of his aides. These aides later developed Jackson's ideas into a political philosophy called neoconservatism. Besides Richard Perle, other neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz and Bill Kristol were former aides to Jackson. They later became important foreign policy makers in the Bush administration. Wolfowitz has often called himself a "Scoop Jackson Republican." Many experts have noted the connections between Senator Jackson and modern neoconservatism.

Jackson's ideas on foreign policy are seen as very important to the George W. Bush administration's foreign policy, including the Iraq War.

The Henry Jackson Society

In 2005, the Henry Jackson Society was formed in England. This group works to promote a strong foreign policy. It is based on principles like promoting the rule of law, democracy, civil rights, and environmental responsibility. The society sees this as part of "Henry Jackson's legacy."

Images for kids

• 

  President Jimmy Carter with Jackson

See also

• Henry M. Jackson High School
• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–1999)
• United States congressional delegations from Washington