Jackson, Jesse Louis, Jr. (1965-…), an Illinois Democrat, served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2012. He became known as a spokesman for urban causes.
Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on March 11, 1965. He is the son of civil rights leader Jesse L. Jackson . He graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. In 1990, he received a master’s degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary. He earned a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1993.
Before Jackson entered Congress, he worked for the civil rights organization National Rainbow Coalition (now Rainbow PUSH Coalition). He instituted a national program to register new voters and also created a voter education program. He and his father are coauthors of a book protesting the death penalty, Legal Lynching (1996).
Jackson won election to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and took office in 1995. He was reelected every two years from 1996 to 2012. As a congressman, Jackson served on the House Appropriations Committee. He sponsored legislation to expand education and health care to the poor. He also called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would establish uniform national voting standards.
In June 2012, Jackson took a medical leave of absence from Congress. His doctors said he was being treated for bipolar II disorder, a mood disturbance. Jackson did not actively campaign for a House seat in 2012, but voters reelected him nonetheless. He resigned from the House soon after the election, citing his health issues and a federal investigation into his alleged misuse of campaign funds.
In February 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the use of about $750,000 in campaign funds for personal reasons. In August, a federal judge sentenced Jackson to 30 months in prison. He was released from federal supervision in September 2015 after receiving a reduced sentence for good behavior. His wife, Sandi Jackson, a former Chicago alderman, then served a 12-month sentence for filing false tax returns. The Jacksons divorced in April 2018.
