Helms, Jesse Alexander (1921-2008), served as a member of the United States Senate from 1973 to 2003 and became one of the most powerful conservatives in the U.S. Congress. Helms, a Republican, represented North Carolina. He was the first Republican elected to the Senate from his state since 1895. After serving five terms, he did not run for reelection and retired from office.
As a senator, Helms attracted a wide following among conservatives and became one of the most influential senators in the 1980’s, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Helms served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry from 1981 to 1987. From 1995 to 2001, he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, where he became known as a strong opponent of Communism and of arms control agreements.
Helms favored outlawing abortion at any time during a pregnancy. He called for a balanced federal budget, permitting prayer in public schools, and prohibiting busing of students solely to achieve racial integration.
Helms was born on Oct. 18, 1921, in Monroe, North Carolina. He served on the city council of Raleigh, North Carolina, from 1957 to 1961. From 1960 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1972, Helms was an executive and commentator for the Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh. He had previously been a newspaper reporter. Helms wrote a memoir, Here’s Where I Stand (2005), about his life and his positions on political issues. Helms died on July 4, 2008.
