Jesse Jackson, Jr.

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Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 2nd district
Term of office: 1995-present
Political party:	Democat
Preceded by:	Mel Reynolds
Succeeded by:	Incumbent
Religion:	Baptist
Born:	March 11 1965 Greenville, South Carolina
Spouse:	Sandra Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson, Jr. (born March 11 1965) is a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Illinois (map). He is the son of activist and former candidate for President, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, he was educated at St. Albans School, Le Mans Academy, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Illinois. Before entering the House, he was the national field director of the National Rainbow Coalition and a member of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He is also a founding board member of the Apollo Alliance.

He took his seat in the House after winning a special election in December 1995, following the conviction of Representative Mel Reynolds on sex charges and his subsequent resignation.

During the 2002 Democratic primary for Jackson’s 2nd District congressional seat, Jackson claimed that Dolton, Illinois Mayor and state Sen. William Shaw and his brother, Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Robert Shaw, had planted a bogus candidate in the primary race, a 68 year old retired truck driver from Robbins, Illinois also named “Jesse L. Jackson”, in order to confuse voters, and derail Jesse Jackson Jr.’s re-election campaign. Although no criminal wrongdoing was found, the Robbins Jackson withdrew his candidacy [1] after the unexpected death of his wife was followed by his 19 year old grandson's death during football team tryouts at Northern Illinois University. [2]

He remains one of the highest vote-getters in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jackson was an early supporter of both U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. He has been an ardent backer of the long-proposed third Chicago airport in Peotone, placing him at odds with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and many people expect him to campaign for the Mayor's office in the 2007 election.

In March of 2005, he revealed that he had lost 50 pounds (23 kg) due to gastric bypass surgery.

Jackson is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

On November 8, 2006, Jackson reported that he will not seek a 2007 mayoral campaign in Chicago.

[...] as you know Democrats are now poised to take control of the Congress for the first time in my eleven year career. More than any time since I took my initial oath of office, I am excited, I am eager, and I am downright giddy about the prospects of being in Washington. Washington will be the place to be in the next two years, and maybe even the foreseeable future. For me this means an unprecedented opportunity to help lead this country in a new and a better direction and to help serve my constituents, my hometown of Chicago and my state of Illinois. So I will not be a candidate for the mayor of the city of Chicago in 2007.