Henry Martin Jackson

Henry Martin Jackson (1912-1983), United States senator from Washington (1953-1983). Born in Everett, Washington, Jackson, who was nicknamed Scoop, graduated from the University of Washington Law School in 1935. Jackson, a Democrat, served in the United States House of Representatives for five terms (1941-1953).

After his election to the Senate in 1952, Jackson took strong political positions against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and for the support of Israel. He was an early opponent of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s campaign against Communist subversion in the United States. As a prominent member of the Armed Services Committee, Jackson supported military spending, especially spending on behalf of the Boeing Company, the Seattle aerospace manufacturer, and other military and atomic research facilities in Washington. He influenced environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1960. He also supported organized labor and civil rights. In 1972 and 1976 Jackson unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination.