Jon Hinson
Encyclopedia
Jon Clifton Hinson was a politician
from the state of Mississippi
.
and graduated from the University of Mississippi
in Oxford
. Hinson was an aide to Representatives Charles H. Griffin
, a Democrat, and Thad Cochran
, a Republican
.
Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
. Hinson denied that he was homosexual and blamed his problems on alcoholism
. He said that he had reformed and refused to yield to demands that he resign. He won re-election with 38.97% of the vote, as independent candidate Leslie McLemore won 29.8% and Democrat Britt Singletary won 29.4% of the vote.
Hinson, who was married to Cynthia Hinson, was again arrested on February 5, 1981, and charged with attempted oral sodomy
for performing oral sex
on an African-American male employee of the Library of Congress
in a restroom of the House of Representatives. He was later charged with sodomy
. At the time, the charge was a felony that could have resulted in up to 10 years in prison, as well as fines of up to $10,000. Since both parties were consenting adults, the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor
, as per policy of the United States Attorney's office. Facing a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine, Hinson pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted sodomy the following day and was released without bail
pending a trial scheduled for May 4, 1981. Soon thereafter, he voluntarily admitted himself to a Washington area hospital for treatment.
, a Democrat, who won the special election held in the summer of 1981.
Soon afterwards, he acknowledged that he was gay. His marriage ended and he became an activist for gay rights.
He later helped to organize the lobbying group "Virginians for Justice" and fought against the ban on gays in the military. He also was a founding member of the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association in Fairfax County
.
He never returned to Mississippi but lived quietly in the Washington area, first in Alexandria, Virginia
, and then Silver Spring, Maryland
.
Hinson also disclosed that he survived a 1977 fire that killed nine people at the Cinema Follies, a Washington theater that catered to a gay clientele. He was rescued from under a pile of bodies—one of only four men who survived.
in Silver Spring at the age of 53.
Hinson's body was cremated
, and the ashes were buried in Tylertown, Mississippi
after a private service. Hinson, by then divorce
d, was survived by a brother, Robert Hinson, in Gulfport, Mississippi
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Early life
Hinson was born in Tylertown, MississippiTylertown, Mississippi
Tylertown is the county seat of Walthall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,910 at the 2000 census.-History:Tylertown was first known as the Magee Settlement. Its first settlement dates back to the emigration of the Magees and Thornhills from South Carolina and is located on a...
and graduated from the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
in Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
. Hinson was an aide to Representatives Charles H. Griffin
Charles H. Griffin
Charles Hudson Griffin was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi, great-great-grandson of Isaac Griffin....
, a Democrat, and Thad Cochran
Thad Cochran
William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,...
, a 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...
.
Career
In 1978, Congressman Cochran chose not to run for re-election to Congress in order to run for the United States Senate. Hinson was elected to succeed his boss, winning with 51.6% of the vote. Hinson defeated John Hampton Stennis, the son of Senator John Stennis. Stennis won 26.4% and the rest went to independent candidates.Controversy
During his re-election campaign in 1980, Hinson admitted that in 1976, while an aide to Cochran, he had been arrested for committing an obscene act, exposing himself to an undercover policeman at the Iwo JimaIwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. Hinson denied that he was homosexual and blamed his problems on alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He said that he had reformed and refused to yield to demands that he resign. He won re-election with 38.97% of the vote, as independent candidate Leslie McLemore won 29.8% and Democrat Britt Singletary won 29.4% of the vote.
Hinson, who was married to Cynthia Hinson, was again arrested on February 5, 1981, and charged with attempted oral sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
for performing oral sex
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
on an African-American male employee of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in a restroom of the House of Representatives. He was later charged with sodomy
Sodomy laws in the United States
Sodomy laws in the United States, which outlawed a variety of sexual acts, were historically universal. While they often targeted sexual acts between persons of the same sex, many statutes employed definitions broad enough to outlaw certain sexual acts between persons of different sexes as well,...
. At the time, the charge was a felony that could have resulted in up to 10 years in prison, as well as fines of up to $10,000. Since both parties were consenting adults, the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
, as per policy of the United States Attorney's office. Facing a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine, Hinson pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted sodomy the following day and was released without bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
pending a trial scheduled for May 4, 1981. Soon thereafter, he voluntarily admitted himself to a Washington area hospital for treatment.
Resignation and later life
He resigned on April 13, 1981, early in his second term. He said that his resignation had been "the most painful and difficult decision of my life." He was succeeded in Congress by Wayne DowdyWayne Dowdy
Charles Wayne Dowdy is a former United States Congressman from Mississippi, United States Senate candidate and currently chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party.-Early life:Dowdy was born in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia....
, a Democrat, who won the special election held in the summer of 1981.
Soon afterwards, he acknowledged that he was gay. His marriage ended and he became an activist for gay rights.
He later helped to organize the lobbying group "Virginians for Justice" and fought against the ban on gays in the military. He also was a founding member of the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association in Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
.
He never returned to Mississippi but lived quietly in the Washington area, first in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, and then Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
.
Hinson also disclosed that he survived a 1977 fire that killed nine people at the Cinema Follies, a Washington theater that catered to a gay clientele. He was rescued from under a pile of bodies—one of only four men who survived.
Death
Hinson died of respiratory failure resulting from AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in Silver Spring at the age of 53.
Hinson's body was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, and the ashes were buried in Tylertown, Mississippi
Tylertown, Mississippi
Tylertown is the county seat of Walthall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,910 at the 2000 census.-History:Tylertown was first known as the Magee Settlement. Its first settlement dates back to the emigration of the Magees and Thornhills from South Carolina and is located on a...
after a private service. Hinson, by then divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d, was survived by a brother, Robert Hinson, in Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
.
External links
- Jon Hinson at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...