Jesse Helms

Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr.
United States Senator from North Carolina
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	B. Everett Jordan
Succeeded by	Elizabeth Dole
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Claiborne Pell
Succeeded by	Joe Biden
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Herman Talmadge
Succeeded by	Patrick Leahy
Personal details
Born	(1921-10-18)October 18, 1921 Monroe, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	July 4, 2008(2008-07-04) (aged 86) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Resting place	Historic Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic (1942-1970)[1] Republican (1970-2008)
Spouse(s)	Dorothy "Dot" Helms
Children	2 daughters, 1 son
Occupation	Journalist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1942 – 1945

Jesse Helms (October 18, 1921 - July 4, 2008) was a Senator from North Carolina. He was also the longest serving senator from that state, serving five terms. He opposed school integration, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, interracial marriage, civil rights, feminism, gay rights, disability rights, affirmative action, tax increases, abortion, the United Nations, foreign aid, communism, and giving government money to art that had nudity in it.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} This gave him the nickname 'Senator No'.^[3][5][9] He and Strom Thurmond were leaders of the extreme conservatives (people who believe very strongly in right-wing beliefs). Before being a Senator, he was a writer.

1. ↑ Pinsky, Mark I. (21 March 1981). "Helms Exhorts Tobacco Bloc to Fight Budget Cuts". The New York Times. p. 1.
2. ↑ Barnes, Bart (5 July 2008). "JESSE HELMS: 1921-2008: 'Senator No' served 5 terms, hailed as saint of New Right". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Margasak, Larry (5 July 2008). "Jesse Helms: Polarizer, not a compromiser". Associated press reprinted in Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle and others). Retrieved 2008-08-27.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. ↑ Calabresi, Massimo; Karen Tumulty (4 July 2008). "Jesse Helms: Stubborn on the Right". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Jesse Helms: The Far-right Senator Who Refused To Compromise". The Week. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
6. ↑ Taranto, James (8 July 2008). "The Department of Racial Development". Wall Street journal. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
7. ↑ McEwan, Melissa (7 July 2008). "Republican Dinosaur: Although he Fought Every Progressive Cause, Jesse Helms Aimed Special Enmity Towards Black People". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
8. ↑ "Jesse Helms: Senator for North Carolina who Took an Uncompromisingly Conservative View of Race, AIDS and Communism". Telegraph News. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
9. ↑ Williams, Juan (12 July 2008). "Jesse Helms was no hero". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-07-12.