Douglas S. Jackson
Encyclopedia
Douglas S. "Doug" Jackson (born July 10, 1954 in Dickson, Tennessee
) is a Tennessee State Senator, attorney, and executive director of the Renaissance Center.
-owned Horizon Medical Center). Most of the descendants of these three physicians and brothers entered the medical field, but Doug chose instead the study of law following his graduation from Battle Ground Academy
in Franklin, Tennessee
and Austin Peay State University
in Clarksville, Tennessee
. Jackson's legal studies were undertaken at the Cumberland School of Law
at Samford University
in Birmingham, Alabama
, after which he was admitted to the Tennessee bar
.
In addition to the regular practice of law, Jackson often assisted his father with regard to legal issues affecting his operation of the hospital and practice of medicine. In 1986, Jackson decided to challenge long-term incumbent
Walter "Buck" Work for his seat in the 69th House
District of the Tennessee General Assembly
.
primary
, Jackson coasted to election in November by a margin of roughly two to one over his Republican
opponent in what was at the time still an overwhelmingly Democratic district. After this he never faced a truly well-funded or highly organized campaign against him for the next six two-year terms, never failing to receive less than 57% of the vote in any contest despite the district's increasingly Republican nature.
During this period, Jackson established a fairly conservative
voting record, generally being pro-business
and always pro-life
, a position at odds with the national Democratic Party but well in tune with a majority of his constituents. He has stated that his pro-life views grow naturally from his Catholic
faith and are not politically motivated or in any way negotiable. It was reported that Jackson was among several Democratic House members approached by the Republican Party after they had gained temporary control of the Tennessee State Senate through party switching
to take part in a similar effort in the House but that he declined to do so.
In 1994 and during his House tenure, Jackson survived a very serious bout with cancer
, which forced him to miss many legislative meetings. When he reappeared on the House floor, still bald from the effects of chemotherapy
and radiation
treatments, it was to a protracted standing ovation. Jackson has suffered no recurrence.
and would serve merely as a caretaker with no desire to stand for election in her own right. Jackson soon entered the hotly contested primary for the remaining two years of Springer's term and defeated, among others, Springer's former staff director and campaign manager in August 2000.
The Tennessee Republican Party made a concerted effort to regain the control of the state senate that fall that it had lost when the party switchers mentioned above retired from office, so Jackson was to face a hard-fought campaign for the November election against Decaturville, Tennessee
businesswoman Bonnie Butler, whom he defeated by a margin of 55% to 45%.
educator Jim Brasfield, than he had won over Butler two years previously. Jackson apparently remained quite popular; he won the Democratic nomination for a third (second full) term in the Tennessee Senate on August 3, 2006 with over 80% of the vote. He was defeated on Nov. 2, 2010.
to $1.00 an hour above the federally required $5.15/hr. Unlike many other states, Tennessee has never had a state minimum wage requirement in excess of the federal rate. This bill faced stiff opposition from business interests which have often supported Jackson in the past, as well as Republican members. Jackson's passed on the floor of the democrat controlled House but failed on the floor of the Republican controlled senate. The vote broke along party lines.
Dickson, Tennessee
Dickson is a city in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,244 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:...
) is a Tennessee State Senator, attorney, and executive director of the Renaissance Center.
Early life
Jackson is a son of Dr. Jimmy Jackson, a fixture in the Dickson medical community who operated (along with his brothers Lawerence and William) the former Goodlark Medical Center (now HCAHospital Corporation of America
Hospital Corporation of America is the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, It is based in Nashville, Tennessee and is widely considered to be the single largest factor in making that city a hotspot for healthcare enterprise.-History:The founders of HCA include Jack C....
-owned Horizon Medical Center). Most of the descendants of these three physicians and brothers entered the medical field, but Doug chose instead the study of law following his graduation from Battle Ground Academy
Battle Ground Academy
Battle Ground Academy is an independent college-preparatory school for grades K-12 located in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1889, the school was originally located on part of the site of the Battle of Franklin in the U.S. Civil War. BGA has two campuses. The Harpeth Campus is located on...
in Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
and Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
in Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
. Jackson's legal studies were undertaken at the Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The 11th oldest law school in the United States, it is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates. Its alumni include two United States Supreme Court Justices; Nobel Peace Prize recipient...
at Samford University
Samford University
Samford University, founded as Howard College is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist Convention-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It includes the , Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, after which he was admitted to the Tennessee bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
.
In addition to the regular practice of law, Jackson often assisted his father with regard to legal issues affecting his operation of the hospital and practice of medicine. In 1986, Jackson decided to challenge long-term incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Walter "Buck" Work for his seat in the 69th House
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
District of the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
.
State House of Representatives
Defeating Work handily in the August Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, Jackson coasted to election in November by a margin of roughly two to one over his Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent in what was at the time still an overwhelmingly Democratic district. After this he never faced a truly well-funded or highly organized campaign against him for the next six two-year terms, never failing to receive less than 57% of the vote in any contest despite the district's increasingly Republican nature.
During this period, Jackson established a fairly conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
voting record, generally being pro-business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and always pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
, a position at odds with the national Democratic Party but well in tune with a majority of his constituents. He has stated that his pro-life views grow naturally from his Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
faith and are not politically motivated or in any way negotiable. It was reported that Jackson was among several Democratic House members approached by the Republican Party after they had gained temporary control of the Tennessee State Senate through party switching
Party switching
Party-switching is any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding elected office.In many countries, party-switching takes the form of politicians refusing to support their political parties in coalition governments...
to take part in a similar effort in the House but that he declined to do so.
In 1994 and during his House tenure, Jackson survived a very serious bout with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, which forced him to miss many legislative meetings. When he reappeared on the House floor, still bald from the effects of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
treatments, it was to a protracted standing ovation. Jackson has suffered no recurrence.
State Senate
Following his family's sale of Goodlark Medical Center to HCA, the funds for the proceeds from this sale were placed in a foundation, the Jackson Foundation, which was established for the primary purpose of operating an educational and cultural center on State Route 46 south of Dickson. Jackson was named executive director of the foundation and the center and was reportedly not intending to seek any further terms in the House. However, when 25th District State Senator Kenneth N. "Pete" Springer was found dead in his apartment in early 2000, Jackson's plans suddenly changed. Springer's widow was elected by the Hickman County Commission as an interim replacement; it was correctly assumed that she had little interest in politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and would serve merely as a caretaker with no desire to stand for election in her own right. Jackson soon entered the hotly contested primary for the remaining two years of Springer's term and defeated, among others, Springer's former staff director and campaign manager in August 2000.
The Tennessee Republican Party made a concerted effort to regain the control of the state senate that fall that it had lost when the party switchers mentioned above retired from office, so Jackson was to face a hard-fought campaign for the November election against Decaturville, Tennessee
Decaturville, Tennessee
Decaturville is a town in and the county seat of Decatur County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 867 at the 2010 census. It is named for war hero Stephen Decatur, Jr.-Geography:Decaturville is located at ....
businesswoman Bonnie Butler, whom he defeated by a margin of 55% to 45%.
Subsequent elections
Jackson was elected to a full term in November 2002 by a larger margin over his Republican opponent, retired Humphreys CountyHumphreys County, Tennessee
Humphreys County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 17,929. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 18,212. Its county seat is Waverly.-Geography:According to the U.S...
educator Jim Brasfield, than he had won over Butler two years previously. Jackson apparently remained quite popular; he won the Democratic nomination for a third (second full) term in the Tennessee Senate on August 3, 2006 with over 80% of the vote. He was defeated on Nov. 2, 2010.
Legislative actions
Most recently, Jackson sponsored a controversial Guns-in-Bars Bill, "allowing Tennessee's estimated 270,000 handgun-carry permit holders to go armed in restaurants, bars, museums and other establishments licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption." The Senate voted to override an earlier veto by Tennessee's Governor Phil Bredesen on May 28, 2010. The law will take effect in July. Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen opposed the, "guns bill sponsored by Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, on the basis that 'guns and alcohol don't mix.'" Despite Jackson's assertion that, "I haven't gotten a complaint from a single citizen that a permit holder made them feel uncomfortable" there has been a public outcry and websites started to voice opposition to the law. Many law enforcement officers and prosecutors also stand with Gov. Bredesen in opposition to the Guns-In-Bars bill. Jackson received public attention in early 2006 as a sponsor of a bill to increase Tennessee's minimum wageMinimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
to $1.00 an hour above the federally required $5.15/hr. Unlike many other states, Tennessee has never had a state minimum wage requirement in excess of the federal rate. This bill faced stiff opposition from business interests which have often supported Jackson in the past, as well as Republican members. Jackson's passed on the floor of the democrat controlled House but failed on the floor of the Republican controlled senate. The vote broke along party lines.