Charles Samuel "Sam" Jackson (September 15, 1860 – December 27, 1924) was a prominent newspaper publisher in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Early life, family and career

Born in

Deltaville, Virginia Deltaville is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place on the eastern tip of Middlesex County in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. It is known for being a vacation spot for those looking for sailing, fishing, a ...

, Jackson went west in 1880, settling in

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

. There, he bought the Pendleton-based ''

East Oregonian The ''East Oregonian'' (''EO'') is a daily newspaper published in Pendleton, Oregon, United States and covering Umatilla and Morrow counties. The ''EO'' was the first-place winner of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association General Excellence ...

'', becoming its publisher in 1882 and developing it into a successful regional paper. In 1886, Sam Jackson and the former Maria Clopton, also originally from Virginia, were married, in Pendleton. They had two sons, Francis C. and Philip L. Jackson, both born in Pendleton.

''The Oregon Journal''

In 1902, a group of influential Portlanders persuaded Jackson to sell the ''East Oregonian'' and move to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

to revive the failing ''Portland Evening Journal''. Under his direction, the latter was renamed first the ''Oregon Daily Journal'' and then simply ''

The Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portlander ...

''. The ''Journal'' became successful as the main (Democratic-leaning) competitor to Portland's (Republican-leaning) daily paper, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''. In his first editorial at the helm of the paper, on July 23, 1902, Jackson declared that:

The ''Journal'' in head and heart will stand for the people, be truly Democratic and free from political entanglements and machinations, believing in the principles that promise the greatest good to the greatest number – to ALL MEN, regardless of race, creed or previous condition of servitude.... It shall be a FAIR newspaper and not a dull and selfish sheet – nda credit to 'Where rolls the Oregon' country.

Jackson led the ''Journal'' for 22 years as owner, publisher and editor, until his death in 1924. His son, Philip succeeded him, serving as publisher for 29 years, until his death at the age of 59, in 1953. Maria Jackson remained involved in the business until her death in 1956, at the age of 93.

Honors and legacy

C.S. "Sam" Jackson was inducted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1917, Jackson donated 88 acres (356,000 m²) on

Marquam Hill Marquam Hill is a populated hill located just south of Downtown Portland, Oregon, United States in the Homestead neighborhood. It is also called Pill Hill because it is home to Oregon Health & Science University, Portland VA Medical Center and Sh ...

in Portland to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Medical School; the site, then known as Sam Jackson Park, is now the campus of the

Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...

. The street serving it continues to be named SW Sam Jackson Park Road. Jackson Tower, former home of ''The Oregon Journal'' in downtown Portland, is named for him. In October 1960, four years after Maria Jackson's death, based on provisions in her will, The Jackson Foundation was established.The Jackson Foundation, "The Jackson Foundation: Founded by Maria C. Jackson".
Accessed: May 27, 2012. According to the foundation's website, "The Foundation continues today as a permanent fund governed by the following language in her will:

The income from the trust shall be distributed by the trustees for use within the State of Oregon for charitable, educational or eleemosynary purposes and for the advancement of public welfare. The trustees shall have wide discretion in the selection of the particular purposes for which said distribution shall be made and shall select beneficiaries as they shall deem to be most appropriate and best calculated to promote the welfare of the public of the City of Portland or the State of Oregon, or both.

"Alder Lea", a

log house A log house, or log building, is a structure built with horizontal logs interlocked at the corners by notching. Logs may be round, squared or hewn to other shapes, either handcrafted or milled. The term " log cabin" generally refers to a sm ...

built for Sam Jackson in 1912–15 on a tract on the

Clackamas River The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about , the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, a ...

, for use as a summer retreat, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1981, as the C. S. "Sam" Jackson Log House.

Footnotes

External links

Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame page

The Jackson Foundation
Portland, Oregon {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Charles Samuel 1860 births 1924 deaths American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon Oregon Health & Science University people People from Middlesex County, Virginia People from Pendleton, Oregon Philanthropists from Oregon History of Portland, Oregon Journalists from Virginia Editors of Oregon newspapers

Early life, family and career

''The Oregon Journal''

Honors and legacy

Footnotes

Further reading

External links