Jesse Helms

Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., (born October 18, 1921) is a former five-term Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina and a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is widely considered one of the giants of the modern "Christian right." On April 2, 2006, Helms's wife of 63 years, Dorothy Jane "Dot" Coble Helms, announced that he is afflicted with dementia and had been moved to a convalescent facility near their Raleigh home. Mrs. Helms said that she visits him daily, and that he has some moments of lucidity. Helms made his last public appearance in September 2005.

Family and education

Helms was born in Monroe, North Carolina, where his father, called "Big Jesse," served as chief of police. Jesse and Dot Helms are the parents of three children: Jane (Mrs. Charles R. Knox), Nancy (Mrs. Randy Griggs) of Raleigh, and Charles Helms of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They have seven grandchildren.

Helms attended Wingate Junior College (now Wingate University) and Wake Forest College but did not graduate. He also holds honorary Doctor of Law degrees from many universities including: Bob Jones University, Grove City College, Campbell University, and Wingate University.

Early career

Helms's first full time job out of college was as a sports reporter with The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina. Here he met Dorothy Coble, who was the News & Observer's society reporter. They married in 1942. During World War II, Helms served stateside as a recruiter in the United States Navy. After the war, he pursued his twin interests, journalism and politics (at this time, within the Democratic Party). Helms became the city news editor of the Raleigh Times and would later move on to radio and television.

Helms began his career in politics as an unofficial researcher for conservative Democrat Willis Smith, who ran for the U.S. Senate in 1950. After the election, Senator Smith hired Helms to be his administrative assistant in Washington, DC. In 1952, Helms worked on the presidential campaign of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., of Georgia, who was seeking the Democratic nomination.

From 1953 through 1960, Helms was executive director of the North Carolina Bankers Association. He went on to become the executive vice-president, vice chairman of the board and assistant chief executive officer of Raleigh-based Capitol Broadcasting Company, from 1960 until his election to the Senate. Meanwhile, Helms won a seat on the nonpartisan Raleigh City Council in 1957, serving for four years.

Helms became famous as a conservative commentator through his daily editorials, arousing the ire of many blacks and others on Capitol Broadcasting Company's WRAL-TV and the Tobacco Radio Network. His editorials were broadcast by more than 70 radio stations in North Carolina and were reprinted regularly in more than 200 newspapers throughout the United States. In them, Helms offered strong opposition to the contemporary civil rights movement. In one such editorial, he called the University of North Carolina the "University of Negroes and Communists."

Helms worked on the unsuccessful 1960 Democratic primary gubernatorial campaign of I. Beverly Lake, Sr. In 1980, I. Beverly Lake, Jr., failed in a Republican gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina; he lost to incumbent Jim Hunt.

In 1970, Helms, prodded by a daughter, finally left the Democratic Party to become a Republican.

Election victories

In 1972, Helms announced his candidacy for a seat in the United States Senate. He won the Republican primary with 60.1 percent of the vote and eliminated two intraparty opponents. Meanwhile, the Democrats retired the ailing Senator B. Everett Jordan, who lost his primary, 55.3 percent to 44.6 percent, to Congressman Nick Galifianakis of Durham. Benefiting from Richard Nixon's landslide re-election, Helms became the first Republican elected to the Senate from North Carolina in the 20th century. Galifianakis' name may have worked against his candidacy, but Helms pinned the "liberal" label on him. Helms polled 795,248 (54 percent) to Galifianakis' 677,293 (46 percent).

In 1978, Helms successfully defended his seat against state Insurance Commissioner John Ingram in a low-turnout off-year election. Helms received 619,151 votes (54.5 percent) to Ingram's 516,663 (45.5 percent). Ingram carried the strong support of President Jimmy Carter.

In 1984, in one of the most expensive contests in North Carolina history, Helms narrowly defeated Governor Jim Hunt, thanks in part to (then-President) Ronald Reagan's support and status. Helms polled 1,156,768 (51.7 percent) to Hunt's 1,070,488 (47.8 percent).

In both 1990 and 1996, Helms won against Harvey Gantt, a black man who had been mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Helms' 1990 victory has been partially credited to a late-running ad which urged white voters to reject Gantt because of the Democrat's support for affirmative action programs (this ad was the brainchild of noted political consultant Dick Morris). Helms won the 1990 election by 1,087,331 votes (52.5 percent) to Gantt's 981,573 (47.4 percent). In his 1990 victory statement, Helms mocked the major North Carolina newspapers for their unhappiness over his victory, quoting a line from "Casey at the Bat": "There's no joy in Mudville tonight."

In 1996, Helms drew 1,345,833 (52.6 percent) to Gantt's 1,173,875 (45.9 percent). Helms supported his former colleague Bob Dole for president, while Gantt endorsed Bill Clinton.

Helms never won more than 54.5 percent of the vote. Though his last election marked his greatest total vote, it was the 1984 victory over Governor Hunt that was the most hard fought. At the time, Hunt had served two terms, and he would later serve two more, making him one of a handful of U.S. governors to have served 16 years. Helms, meanwhile, was the most successful Republican politician in North Carolina history. Helms was particularly popular among older, conservative constituents and was considered an "Old South" politician.

Helms and the conservative movement

As a senator, Helms became one of the leaders of the increasingly influential conservative movement within the Republican Party, giving Ronald Reagan crucial support in 1976 in the pivotal North Carolina GOP primary that paved the way for Reagan's presidential election in 1980. While representing North Carolina in Washington for 30 years, Helms was known for his constituent services. A consistent champion for North Carolina industry, Helms fought to protect declining industries such as tobacco and textiles and was an ally of growth industries, such as banking and pharmaceuticals.

Committee service

Helms became chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the 1980s. He was also an advocate of the tobacco industry in Congress since much of the North Carolina economy relies on tobacco. Tobacco companies such as R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris have supported him, including giving generously to the Jesse Helms Center at Wingate University.

When Republicans regained control of Congress after the 1994 elections, Helms became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In that role, he pushed for reform of the United Nations and blocked payment of UN dues by the United States. Particularly as he gained seniority and clout, Helms became known as "Senator No" because he would obstruct a variety of Democratic bills and presidential appointments. Helms reportedly delighted in the nickname.

In 1994, Helms created a sensation when he told broadcasters the late Rowland Evans, Jr., and Robert Novak that President Bill Clinton was "not up" to the tasks of being commander-in-chief and suggested that Clinton had "better not show up around here Bragg without a bodyguard", on the anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. ^*

Controversies

Helms opposed the Martin Luther King holiday bill in 1983 on grounds that King had two associates with communist ties, Stanley Levison and Jack O'Dell. He was condemned by many for his habit of calling all black people "Fred." Though popular with the capitol staff, Helms once irritated a colleague, Democratic Senator Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois, by singing part of "Dixie" on a capitol elevator. Helms's seemingly nostalgic remembrances of segregation also led many to call him a racist. Even the sympathetic conservative magazine National Review admitted he was prejudiced against blacks. He did, however, hire Claude Allen, who is black, as his press secretary. James Meredith, who earned fame as the first African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi, also served on Helms' staff.

In 1998, Helms was the subject of Dear Jesse, a feature-length documentary by Tim Kirkman that examines the similarities and differences between the filmmaker and the Senator. With the 1996 Helms-Gantt senate campaign as the backdrop, Dear Jesse is a filmed "letter" to the senator from the openly gay filmmaker, and features interviews with writers, activists, artists, politicians and citizens across the state about Helms's legacy, particularly with regard to his stances on the arts, AIDS funding and GLBT rights. Like Helms, Kirkman was born in Monroe, North Carolina. Dear Jesse was nominated for Emmy, GLAAD, and Independent Spirit Awards.

Retirement

Due to recurring health problems, including bone disorder, prostate cancer and heart disease, Helms did not seek re-election in 2002. His Senate seat was won by Elizabeth Dole, the former Cabinet secretary of transportation (Ronald Reagan) and labor (George H. Bush) and wife of his long-time colleague, former Senator Bob Dole. Helms remains to date the longest-serving popularly elected U.S. senator in North Carolina history. At a minimum, the state's current junior senator, Richard Burr, would have to serve without interruption until 2034 to match Helms' longevity.

Since retiring from the Senate in 2003, Helms has been in poor health. In September 2005, Random House published his memoir Here's Where I Stand. Helms has also been recruited by pop star Bono in recent charity work. In 2004, he spoke out for the election of Republican Congressman Richard Burr, who, like Elizabeth Dole two years earlier, defeated the Democrat Erskine Bowles to win the other North Carolina Senate seat.

In April 2006 news reports disclosed he has vascular dementia — which leads to failing memory and cognitive function, as well as a number of physical difficulties. He has since been moved into a convalescent center near his home. His wife was quoted to say that "he has his good days and his bad days. He still sees friends. Company is good for him. He is still signing books. But he is not able to conduct any business or make any speeches."http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/424539.html

External links

Pro-Helms

The Jesse Helms Center
"Jesse Helms: To mold a nation" - article at FreeRepublic.com

Anti-Helms

"Jesse Helms, White Racist" - a 2001 article by David Broder of The Washington Post

Served in Senate alongside: Sam J. Ervin, Robert Morgan, John P. East, James T. Broyhill, Terry Sanford, Lauch Faircloth, John Edwards

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