Scoop Jackson

Henry Martin Scoop Jackson May 31 1912 September 1 1983 was an American lawyer and politician who served as a US representative 19411953 and US senator 19531983 from the state of Washington A Cold War liberal and antiCommunist member of the Democratic Party Jackson supported higher military spending and a hard line against the Soviet Union while also supporting social welfare programs civil rights and labor unions Born in Everett Washington to Norwegian immigrants Jackson practiced law in Everett after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law He won election to Congress in 1940 and joined the Senate in 1953 after defeating incumbent Republican Party senator Harry P Cain Jackson supported the civil rights movement of the 1960s and authored the National Environmental Policy Act which helped establish the principle of publicly analyzing environmental impacts He cosponsored the JacksonVanik amendment which denied normal trade relations to noncapitalist countries with restrictive emigration policies Jackson served as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from 1963 to 1981 He was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in both the 1972 and 1976 presidential elections While still serving in the Senate Jackson died in 1983