Judy Jacobson (February 26, 1939 – June 20, 2019) was an American author and politician who served as a Democratic member of the

Montana Legislature The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana. It is composed of the 100-member Montana House of Representatives and the 50-member Montana Senate. The Montana Constitution dictates that the legislature me ...

. She was elected to

Montana State Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

District 42 and served from 1981 to 1996, and was the first female Senator serving

Silver Bow County Silver Bow County is a county in the U.S. state Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,133. Its county seat is Butte. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the single entity of Butte-Silver Bow. Additional ...

Early life and education

On February 26, 1939, Jacobson was born in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

. Jacobson attended and studied social work at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. In 1995, Jacobson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from

Montana Technological University Montana Technological University, popularly known as Montana Tech, is a public university in Butte, Montana. Founded in 1900 as the Montana State School of Mines, the university became affiliated with the University of Montana in 1994. After unde ...

Career

In 1981, Jacobson served in the Montana Senate District 41. On January 12, 1996, Jacobson was announced as the running mate of

Chet Blaylock Chester Merle "Chet" Blaylock (November 13, 1924 – October 23, 1996) was a U.S. politician born in Joliet, Montana. Blaylock served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Later he was a teacher for 30 years in Laurel and Chinook, Montana. He was ...

for the 1996 Montana gubernatorial election. However, on October 23, 1996, Blaylock died of a heart attack, and the

Montana Democratic Party Montana Democratic Party (MDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Montana and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party as of 2021 is chaired by Robyn Driscoll. The National Committeeman is Jorge ...

selected Jacobson as his replacement, therefore becoming both the gubernatorial nominee and the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee. Winning 79.2% of the vote, ultimately, however,

Marc Racicot Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

was able to defeat Jacobson in a landslide to win re-election to his second and final term as governor. In 2000, Jacobson became the first woman Chief Executive of Butte-Silver Bow in Montana.

Works

* 1997 Montana Almanc. Co-author with Andrea Merrill. Published by Falcon Press Publishing.

Personal life

Jacobson's husband is John Jacobson, a physician. In 1973, Jacobson and her family moved to

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

. Jacobson has three children. On June 20, 2019, Jacobson died in Butte at 80 years of age.

References

External links

Judy Jacobson at ourcampaigns.com
1939 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party Montana state senators Politicians from South Bend, Indiana University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work alumni Women state legislators in Montana Candidates in the 1996 United States elections {{Montana-politician-stub