Jack C. Jackson Jr. (Navajo) is an American attorney and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he served in the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...

, representing the state's 2nd district in northern Arizona from 2011 until July 2013 when he left for an appointment with the U.S. Department of State. He is a former member of the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

, having served from January 2003 to January 2005. His father, Jack C. Jackson Sr., served in the Arizona House until 2004, and they were the first father and son to serve together in the state legislature. In 2004, Jackson Jr. declined to seek a second House term.

Personal life and education

Jack C. Jackson Jr. was born on the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

, from his mother's ''Tó’áhaní'' (Near The Water)

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

, and born for the clan of his father, Jack Jackson Sr., of the ''Kinyaa’áanii'' (Towering House) clan. His maternal grandfather is from the Tábaahá (Water’s Edge) clan, and his paternal grandfather is from the Áshiihí (Salt) clan. His father had a long political career, serving in the State Legislature from 1985 to 2004. Jackson Jr. graduated from college, and attended law school at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in New York, earning his J.D. degree in 1989. Eager to pursue a political career as his father was doing, he decided to start learning in Washington, D.C.

Political career

Jackson moved to the capital, where he started by representing tribal governments and organizations to the federal government. Beginning as a Legislative Associate, he advanced to Deputy Director for the Navajo Nation Washington Office. Jackson also worked as the Legislative Analyst at the

National Indian Education Association The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) is the only national nonprofit exclusive to education issues for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people of the United States. History In March 1969, Sparlin Norwood, Cherokee, ...

, and the Director of Governmental Affairs for the

National Congress of American Indians The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an American Indian and Alaska Native rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist federal government pressure for termination of tribal rights and assimilati ...

. In total, he worked in Washington for 12 years. In April 2000, Jackson was appointed by

Donna Shalala Donna Edna Shalala ( ; born February 14, 1941) is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Presid ...

, Secretary of

Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

, to serve on President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. In 2002 Jackson Jr. ran for the Arizona State House and won. He served one term, from January 2003 to January 2005. His father, Jack C. Jackson Sr., served in the Arizona State Legislature for more than 15 years, to 2004. The two were the first father and son to serve together in the Arizona legislature. In 2005, Jackson announced a run for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Arizona's 1st congressional district Arizona's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, covering northeastern Maricopa County. Before 2023, geographically, it was the eleventh-largest congressional district in the country and incl ...

. The seat was held by the Republican

Rick Renzi Richard George Renzi (born June 11, 1958) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing from 2003 until 2009. In 2013, he was convicted on federal criminal charges against him fo ...

. That year, Jackson Jr. was appointed by Arizona Governor

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...

as the Executive Director of the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs. Jackson withdrew from the House campaign before the Democratic primary in September 2006, and Renzi went on to retain his seat. In 2010, Jackson Jr. ran for the

in the 2nd district and won the Democratic primary among three candidates held on August 24. Since no Republican filed for the seat, Jackson was unopposed in the general election. Since state redistricting in 2002, the district has contained part of the city of Flagstaff as well as the large

, and the

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

Havasupai The Havasupai people (Havasupai: ''Havsuw' Baaja'') are an American Indian tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. ''Havasu'' means "blue-green water" and ''pai'' "people". Located primarily in an area know ...

Hualapai The Hualapai (, , yuf-x-wal, Hwalbáy) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled members. Approximately 1353 enrolled members reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Nort ...

and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes. In the 2012 election, Jackson ran unopposed and was subsequently re-elected to the newly drawn Arizona Legislative District 7. Jackson serves on the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise Board. The Obama Administration appointed him to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Jackson supports gay rights, introducing ill-fated legislation in 2013 to change Arizona's state Constitution which defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

Personal

Jackson is gay. On October 11, 2008, in Del Mar, California, before the passage of Proposition 8, Jackson was married to db Bailey in a sunset ceremony.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Jack Jr. 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Native American politicians Arizona state senators American gay politicians LGBT Native Americans LGBT state legislators in Arizona Living people Members of the Arizona House of Representatives Native American state legislators in Arizona Navajo lawyers People from Window Rock, Arizona Syracuse University College of Law alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Navajo leaders 21st-century Arizona politicians Navajo born for the Towering House Clan