Andrew Jacobs Jr. (February 24, 1932 – December 28, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served as an

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

state legislator and

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

. Jacobs represented part of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for all but two years from 1965 to 1997. His father, Andrew Jacobs, was also a congressman for one term.

Early life

Jacobs was born in

, the son of Joyce Taylor (Welborn) and Andrew Jacobs, and graduated from

Shortridge High School Shortridge High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Shortridge is the home of the International Baccalaureate and arts and humanities programs of the Indianapolis Public Schools district (IPS). Origina ...

in 1949. He served as an infantryman in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and was a disabled combat veteran. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

in 1955, and a

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from Indiana University in 1958. Upon graduation he began a law practice and served in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

from 1959 to 1960.

Political career

Jacobs served as a member of the

from 1959 to 1960. In 1964 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a

in the overwhelming Democratic landslide of 1964. He was appointed to the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

, on which he coauthored the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

. Jacobs was an active participant in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. Jacobs was an early opponent of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, and led an all-night debate against American military involvement in Vietnam during the war, the first critical discussion of the Vietnam War in the House of Representatives. In his criticism of the Vietnam War, Andy Jacobs reportedly coined the term "War wimp" to a describe a politician who advocated war but who had avoided military service earlier in life. In the 1972 Congressional election, future Indianapolis Mayor

Bill Hudnut Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

defeated Jacobs. In the 1974 Democratic landslide, however, Jacobs defeated Hudnut, regaining his old seat in the House. Following the election he was appointed to the

House Ways and Means Committee A ways and means committee is a government body that is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for government budgets. Because the raising of revenue is vital to carrying out governmental operations, such a committee is tasked with fi ...

, on which he served until his retirement from Congress in 1997. He eventually served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security. In 1985, Jacobs introduced a proposal to adopt "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...

" as the U.S. national anthem in place of "The Star-Spangled Banner". Jacobs was involved in major

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

reforms in the 1980s, which included making Social Security an independent government organization. He wrote legislation requiring physical bonds to exist representing the money Social Security had collected. He retired from Congress in 1997, with a reputation for bipartisan effort, compromise, and humor. He endorsed

Julia Carson Julia May Carson (née Porter; July 8, 1938 – December 15, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1997 until she died in 2007 (numbered as the 10th District from 1997 to 2 ...

as his replacement. She served until her death in 2007, after which her grandson,

André Carson André Darryl Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the northern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Ind ...

, made a successful bid for her seat.

Retirement and death

Following his retirement from Congress, Jacobs taught political science at

Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana ( ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash Riv ...

. He wrote and published two memoirs criticizing American militarism. He was also a regular contributor to '' NUVO Magazine'' in Indianapolis. He was a strong opponent of American military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s. Jacobs died on December 28, 2013, at his home in Indianapolis, aged 81. He was survived by his third wife, television reporter Kim (Hood) Jacobs, and two sons.

References

External links

*
Biography from the Stennis Center

Appearance on 'Top Story'; February 28, 1993
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs Jr., Andrew 1932 births 2013 deaths Politicians from Indianapolis Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives United States Marines Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from Indiana Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis faculty Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Shortridge High School alumni 20th-century Indiana politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly