Rev. Jesse Jackson, an iconic civil rights leader, clergyman, and former aide to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who mounted two campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination, died today. He was 84.
Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell today called Jackson “a giant of justice and compassion.”
“We have lost yet another champion of human rights and a true voice for the voiceless,” Caldwell said. “His courage changed America, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations.”
Jackson appeared on the ballot in New Jersey in both of his presidential bids. He finished third in 1984 with 24%, behind Walter Mondale (45%) and Gary Hart (30%). Jackson carried Essex County by 15,731 votes over Mondale, 49%-34%, and finished second in Camden, Passaic, and Union counties.
Mondale captured 97 delegates from New Jersey, with 10 for Jackson and none for Hart; by the time the convention began in San Francisco that summer, 7 delegates voted for Jackson on the first ballot.
Michael Dukakis won the New Jersey Democratic primary in 1988, leading Jackson, 63%-33%. Jackson again won Essex County, this time by 27,807 votes, a 61%-36% margin.
In 1986, Jackson campaigned in Newark for Donald M. Payne, Sr., then a South Ward city councilman who was challenging House Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter Rodino in the Democratic primary. Payne lost that race, but won the seat two years later after Rodino retired.
In 1971, Jackson formed People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) and later, the Rainbow Coalition.
Caldwell’s father, the late Rev. Dr. Gilbert H. Caldwell, “shared a lifelong commitment to standing up for those pushed to the margins of society.”
“My father knew, marched with, and was arrested alongside Rev. Jackson during the Civil Rights Movement,” stated Caldwell. He said the two were held overnight together in a New York City jail after being held following a civil rights march for workers’ rights.
Former New Jersey CWA State Director Hetty Rosenstein said that Jackson “changed history.”
“When Rev. Jackson ran for President, he didn’t only go to the CWA Convention and bring thousands of mostly white plant guys to their feet screaming ‘Jesse!’ ‘Jesse!,’” Rosenstein said.
