John Holmes Jackson
24th and 26th Mayor of Burlington, Vermont
In office
April 1, 1929 – April 3, 1933
Preceded byClarence H. Beecher
Succeeded byJames Edmund Burke
In office
April 2, 1917 – April 6, 1925
Preceded byAlbert S. Drew
Succeeded byClarence H. Beecher
Member of the
Vermont House of Representatives
from Burlington
In office
January 5, 1921 – January 2, 1923
Preceded byTheodore E. Hopkins
Succeeded byLevi P. Smith
Personal details
Born(1871-03-21)March 21, 1871
Montreal, Canada
DiedDecember 14, 1944(1944-12-14) (aged 73)
Burlington, Vermont
Resting placeLakeview Cemetery,
Burlington, Vermont
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseCaroline Deming Smalley
ChildrenBradley Smalley Jackson
Parents
  • Samuel Nelson Jackson (father)
  • Mary Ann Parkyn (mother)
RelativesDavid Allen Smalley (Grandfather-in-law)
Hollister Jackson (brother)
Horatio Nelson Jackson (brother)
EducationPhiladelphia Dental College

John Holmes Jackson (March 21, 1871 – December 14, 1944) was an American politician who served as the 24th and 26th Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. His initial narrow ten vote victory in 1917 against incumbent Albert S. Drew is the closest mayoral election in Burlington's history, although Clarence H. Beecher's 1927 victory was decreased from 89 votes to 8 votes by a Supreme Court ruling in 1929, and wasn't matched until Bernie Sanders won the 1981 mayoral election by ten votes after a recount.

Life

Jackson was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Vermont with family which later became a prominent Vermont political family which included his brothers, Horatio Nelson Jackson and Hollister Jackson.[1] Following his graduation from the Philadelphia Dental College he practiced dentistry in Barre, Vermont until 1896 when he moved to Burlington, Vermont. In 1894 Jackson was put on trial for interfering with an officer while he was beating a criminal and was found not guilty.[2][3]

In 1917, Jackson defeated the incumbent Republican Albert S. Drew in the Burlington mayoral election by ten votes with 1,416 votes to 1,406 votes.[4][5] In 1919 Jackson won reelection against Harris R. Watkins with 2,149 votes to 1,930 votes.[6] During his tenure in 1918 he handled the Spanish flu outbreak in the city and motorized the fire department and in 1919 he became one of the first Vermonters and politicians to ride in a seaplane.[7][8] In 1920, Jackson was elected to represent Burlington in the Vermont House of Representatives and he served one term, 1921 to 1923.[1] In 1921 he was elected to a third term after defeating William B. McKillip with 1,941 votes to 1,476 votes.[9] In 1922 he was the Democratic nominee for governor, but was defeated in a landslide by Redfield Proctor Jr. with 51,104 votes to 17,059 votes. In 1923 he faced no opposition for reelection as mayor, with both the Democratic and Republican city committees choosing to endorse him.[10]

At the 1924 Democratic National Convention, Jackson was a delegate and on the 39th ballot received one vote for president. John W. Davis won the nomination on the 103rd ballot, and lost the general election to incumbent Republican Calvin Coolidge.[11]

On April 1, 1929, Jackson returned to the mayoralty. Shortly after taking office he shut down the city Convention Bureau, which was unable to account for all of the $5,000 of city funds it spent to host the 1928 New England Firemen's Convention.[12] After winning reelection he was nominated for lieutenant governor in 1930; he lost, as did all statewide Democratic candidates during this era, but received two percent more of the vote than Park Pollard, his party's nominee for governor.[13] In the 1930 House election he endorsed former Burlington municipal court judge Joseph A. McNamara in his unsuccessful run.[14] Jackson declined to run for reelection and endorsed former mayor James Edmund Burke. Burke won, and on April 3, 1933 he succeeded Jackson as mayor.[15][16]

In 1936, Jackson was a delegate to the state Democratic convention. He also attended the national convention as a supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was renominated by acclimation.[17][18] During World War II, Jackson, James J. Carney, and Phillips M. Bell were appointed by Governor William Wills to serve as Burlington's rationing board.[19][20]

Personal life

On June 4, 1901, Jackson married Caroline Deming Smalley, the granddaughter of David Allen Smalley, who served as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. They were the parents of a son, Bradley Smalley Jackson.[21] During his career as mayor he appointed Caroline to multiple positions including the library board of commissioners.[22] On December 14, 1944, Jackson died at the Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital (later merged with the University of Vermont Medical Center).[1] He was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.[1]

Electoral history

John Holmes Jackson electoral history
1917 Burlington mayoral election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 1,416 50.18%
Republican Albert S. Drew 1,406 49.82%
Total votes 2,822 100%
1919 Burlington mayoral election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 2,149 52.68%
Republican Harris R. Watkins 1,930 47.32%
Total votes 4,079 100%
1920 Vermont House of Representatives election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 3,019 50.7%
Republican Levi P. Smith 2,935 49.3%
Total votes 5,954 100%
1921 Burlington mayoral election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 1,941 56.80%
Republican William B. McKillip 1,476 43.20%
Total votes 3,417 100%
Vermont gubernatorial election, 1922[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Redfield Proctor Jr. 49,161 72.00%
Prohibition Redfield Proctor Jr. 1,943 2.80%
Total Redfield Proctor Jr. 51,104 74.80%
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 17,059 25.00%
N/A Other 144 0.00%
Total votes '68,307' '100.00%'
1929 Burlington mayoral election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 3,425 59.27%
Progressive James Edmund Burke 2,354 40.73%
Total votes 5,779 100%
1930 Vermont Lieutenant Governor election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Benjamin Williams 49,635 69.97%
Democratic John Holmes Jackson 21,301 30.03%
Total votes 70,936 100%

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Dr. J. Holmes Jackson, 73, Dies; Was Mayor of This City 12 Years". The Burlington Free Press. 16 December 1944. p. 9. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Jackson Found Not Guilty". Argus and Patriot. 21 November 1894. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Jackson Found Not Guilty Extended". Argus and Patriot. 21 November 1894. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Dr. Jackson Wins In Close Contest". The St Johnsbury Caledonian. 7 March 1917. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "The Votes By Wards". The Burlington Free Press. 7 March 1917. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Mayor Jackson Re-Elected By 219 Majority". Burlington Daily News. 5 May 1919. p. 5. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Jackson Promises No Increase In Taxes If Elected Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. 2 March 1929. p. 10. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Seaplane Coming From New York To Burlington". Burlington Daily News. 30 June 1919. p. 8. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Jackson Again Elected Mayor". Burlington Daily News. 3 March 1921. p. 3. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "City Election Will Be Very Quiet Affair". Burlington Daily News. 6 March 1923. p. 7. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Bernie Sanders Becomes 5th Presidential Candidate in Vermont History". Smart Politics. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019.
  12. ↑ "Convention Bureau Operation Cost $3461". The Burlington Free Press. 9 April 1929. p. 10. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Democrats Choose Park Pollard For Governor; J. Holmes Jackson Lieutenant Governor". The Burlington Free Press. 25 June 1933. p. 3. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "McNamara For Congress". The Burlington Free Press. 27 October 1930. p. 4. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Au Revoir, Mayor Jackson". The Burlington Free Press. 3 April 1933. p. 4. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Jackson Says He Will Support Burke for Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. 18 February 1933. p. 9. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Democrats Name Their Delegates". The Burlington Free Press. 5 May 1936. p. 10. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "List of Delegates". Rutland Daily Herald. 18 June 1936. p. 7. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Rationing Board Now Has Say On Typewriters". The Burlington Free Press. 22 April 1942. p. 6. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Tire Rationing Board Issues Four Permits; To Meet Twice a Week". The Burlington Free Press. 12 January 1942. p. 12. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Officials Attend Final Rites For Former Mayor Jackson". The Burlington Free Press. 18 December 1944. p. 9. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Mayor Appoints Commissioners". The Burlington Free Press. 2 April 1929. p. 8. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "General Election Results - Governor - 1789-2012" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Jackson Overwhlems Burke In Mayoralty Contest". The Burlington Free Press. 6 March 1929. p. 10. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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