Lydia Patrice Jackson (born March 5, 1960) is a

Democratic 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 ...

former member of the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

from

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

, Louisiana. An African American, Jackson represented

District 39 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Caddo Parish Caddo Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de Caddo'') is a parish located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 237,848. The parish seat is Shreveport, which developed a ...

in the far northwestern corner of her state from 2004 to 2012.

Biography

Lydia Patrice Jackson was born March 5, 1960. Her father,

Alphonse J. Jackson Alphonse may refer to: * Alphonse (given name) * Alphonse (surname) * Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group See also

*Alphons *Alfonso (disambiguation) {{dab ...

of Shreveport, was an educator, a former member of the Louisiana House, and one of the ten founders of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. Jackson graduated from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

, the female attachment to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From 2000 to 2004, she was the first person of her race to hold the District 2 seat in the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

. Prior to 1997, she was an aide in the District of Columbia to Democratic former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

J. Bennett Johnson, Jr. She is a graduate of

in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2009, Jackson made statewide headlines by sponsoring Louisiana Senate Bill 335 to delay a tax break passed in 2008 to halt budget-cutting in public higher education during a downturn of the economy in 2009 and 2010. On June 14, 2009, the ''

Baton Rouge Morning Advocate ''The Advocate'' is Louisiana's largest daily newspaper. Based in Baton Rouge, it serves the southern portion of the state. Separate editions for New Orleans, '' The Times-Picayune The New Orleans Advocate'', and for Acadiana, ''The Acadian ...

'' noted that the proposal passed the Senate but "appears to be dead in the House". Jackson was to have addressed the Press Club of Baton Rouge on the next day. See also cuts to higher education. Outside the legislature, Jackson is a former research coordinator for Marshall Sigler, Inc. She later became a business development officer and vice president for

Capital One Bank Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in McLean, Virginia with operations primarily in the United States. It is on the list o ...

. Jackson was unseated in her bid for a third term in the Senate in the general election held on November 19, 2011. She lost to her Democratic predecessor in the seat, former Senator Gregory Tarver, a Shreveport businessman. Tarver prevailed with 9,168 votes (52.5 percent) to Jackson's 8,295 (47.5 percent). In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, Jackson had led a three-candidate field with 9,393 votes (43.4 percent). Tarver trailed with 9,015 (41.6 percent). A third candidate, the white conservative Republican Jim Slagle, held the remaining 3,259 votes (15 percent). Both the Jackson and Tarver families are long-time advocates for civil rights in the Shreveport community.

Notes

External links

Louisiana State Senate – Lydia Jackson
''official government website''
Project Vote Smart – Senator Lydia Jacksone (LA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' – Lydia Jackson
2007200520031999
campaign contributions * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Lydia P. 1960 births Living people Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Louisiana 21st-century African-American women politicians Activists for African-American civil rights Baptists from Louisiana Politicians from Shreveport, Louisiana Radcliffe College alumni Women state legislators in Louisiana 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women