Jonathan Jackson

Democrat Representative of Illinois's 1st district

Congresses Served

House Terms

January 7, 1966 (58 years old)

Birthday

U.S. representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district since 2023
Former national spokesman for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Has a background as a financial analyst and partner in a beer distributorship
Born into a prominent civil rights family; son of Jesse Jackson and godson of Martin Luther King Jr.
Attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and North Carolina A&T State University for business, later earning an MBA from Northwestern University
Involved in civil and human rights activism, including efforts to address police torture and wrongful convictions in Chicago
Led initiatives against the closure of Chicago Public Schools and advocated for investing in existing schools
Criticized the privatization of public education and supported public investment in education
Started his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert and has been involved in various business ventures including owning a beer distributorship and bidding for a TV station chain
Taught finance and entrepreneurship at City Colleges of Chicago and is a business professor at Chicago State University
Elected to Congress in 2022, succeeding Bobby Rush, and campaigned as a progressive
Member of the Committee on Agriculture and Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 118th Congress
Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus
Married to Marilyn Ann Richards since 1995, with three children