Glenn L. Jackson (nickname "Mr. Oregon") (April 27, 1902 – June 20, 1980)Mosey, Ed (June 21, 1980). "Respected entrepreneur: Jackson guided industry, state leaders". ''The Oregonian'', p. A8. was a businessman 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 ...

, and an influential transportation planner in the state.Mahoney, Barbara
Glenn Jackson
in the ''

Oregon Encyclopedia The ''Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' is a collaborative encyclopedia focused on the history and culture of the U.S. state of Oregon. Description The encyclopedia is a project of Portland State University's History Department, thOreg ...

'' He made a strong mark on the state as a 20-year member, and later chair, of the Oregon State Highway Commission, later known as the

Oregon Transportation Commission The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depa ...

. He was initially appointed to the commission by Governor

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropr ...

in 1959. He became chair in 1962, and was reappointed by Governors

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up th ...

and Robert Straub. Jackson directed the planning and construction of 700 miles of freeway and more than 800 bridges including the Fremont, Astoria–Megler, and Marquam bridges. Glenn Jackson was born to William L. Jackson, co-publisher of the ''

Albany Democrat-Herald The ''Albany Democrat-Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Albany, Oregon, United States. The paper is owned by the Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, a firm which also owns the daily ''Corvallis Gazette-Times,'' published in the adjacent market of ...

'', and Minnie Jackson, a school teacher, in

Albany, Oregon Albany is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the eleventh largest city in that state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just ...

on April 27, 1902. He graduated from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

in 1925 and began working for the California Oregon Power Company (COPCO) in 1928. Except for a stint in military service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, during which he attained the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, Jackson continued to work for COPCO or for Mountain States Power Company, eventually becoming manager of COPCO. He became vice-chairman of the board of Pacific Power & Light (PP&L) (now a division of

PacifiCorp PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: # Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington. # ...

) in 1961, when COPCO merged with PP&L, and later chairman, until retiring from that position in 1972. He and his sister inherited a majority share of the ''Democrat-Herald'' in 1949. He later bought out the co-publisher and added nine other Oregon weekly newspapers to the company, retaining them until his death in 1980. Jackson died of cancer at the age of 78 on June 20, 1980, in Portland.Bundy, Don (June 21, 1980). "Civic leader Glenn Jackson dies". ''The Oregonian'', p. 1. The Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, completed in 1982 to carry

Interstate 205 Interstate 205 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 5 * Interstate 205 (California), a connector in the San Francisco Bay Area * Interstate 205 (Oregon–Washingt ...

across the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

, is named after him. Jackson leased, then purchased, in 1946, a fashionable

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

house in Medford that was designed by noted architect

Frank Chamberlain Clark Frank Chamberlain Clark (1872–1957) was an American architect active in Southern Oregon. Many of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Clark has been said to be "the leading architect of the Rogue River Va ...

. The house, known as the Clark-Jackson House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. with

References

External links

* George Edmonston Jr.
Up Close and Personal: “Mr. Oregon”: Glenn L. Jackson
OSU alumni association {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Glenn Businesspeople from Oregon 1902 births 1980 deaths History of transportation in Oregon Oregon Republicans United States Army officers American newspaper publishers (people) People from Albany, Oregon Oregon State University alumni Transportation planning 20th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Oregon

See also

References

External links