Henry M. Jackson

Henry M. Jackson
Official portrait of Jackson, 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 lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. representative (1941–1953) and U.S. senator (1953–1983) from the state of Washington. A Cold War liberal and anti-Communist member of the Democratic Party, Jackson supported higher military spending and a hard line against the Soviet Union, while also supporting social welfare programs, civil rights, and labor unions.^[1]

Born in Everett, Washington, to Norwegian immigrants, Jackson practiced law in Everett, after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law. He won election to Congress in 1940, and joined the Senate in 1953 after defeating incumbent Republican Party senator Harry P. Cain. Jackson supported the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and authored the National Environmental Policy Act, which helped establish the principle of publicly analyzing environmental impacts. He co-sponsored the Jackson–Vanik amendment, which denied normal trade relations to countries with restrictive emigration policies. Jackson served as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 1963 to 1981. He was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in the 1972 and 1976 presidential elections. While still serving in the Senate, Jackson died in 1983.

His political beliefs were characterized by support of civil rights, human rights, and safeguarding the environment, but with an equally strong commitment to oppose totalitarianism in general and — with the start of the Cold War — communist rule in particular.^[2] Jackson's political philosophies and positions have been cited as an influence on a number of key figures associated with neoconservatism, including Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, both of whom previously served as aides to Jackson.^[1] The Seattle-based Henry M. Jackson Foundation was created in 1983 by his former colleagues and staff, as well as his widow and other family members, to further his work. In 1987, the Department of Defense gave to the Jackson Foundation a one-time, $10 million appropriation for its endowment, in honor of the Senator. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $26 million in grants to educational and non-profit institutions. Jackson also sponsored legislation to form the Foundation to Advance Military Medicine, which was later renamed in his honor at the time of his death, to the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.