Henry “Scoop” Jackson (b. 1912 – d. 1983) was a U.S. Congressman and Senator for the state of Washington from 1941 until his death…
As a member of the US House of Representatives, Jackson visited Buchenwald concentration camp a few days after its liberation in 1945…In 1974, Jackson sponsored the Jackson–Vanik amendment in the Senate (with Charles Vanik sponsoring it in the House) which denied normal trade relations to certain countries with non–market economies that restricted the freedom of emigration. The amendment was intended to help refugees, particularly minorities, specifically Jews, to emigrate from the Soviet Bloc. Jackson and his assistant, Richard Perle, also lobbied personally for some people who were affected by this law—among them Anatoly (Natan) Sharansky….Jackson received substantial financial support from Jewish–Americans who admired his pro–Israel views, but Jackson’s support of the Vietnam War resulted in hostility from the left wing of the Democratic Party…Jackson wax a key supporter of Israel…As a social liberal but political hawk, Jackson’s political philosophies cut across party lines. His positions have been cited as an influence on the Neo–Conservative Movement (the NeoCons) which emerged in full force later, in the 1990s and early 2000s….
Jackson died at age 71 in Everett, Washington. From the eulogy by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of NY –
“Henry Jackson is proof of the old belief in the Judaic tradition that at any moment in history goodness in the world is preserved by the deeds of 36 just men who do not know that this is the role the Lord has given them. Henry Jackson was one of those men.”