Morris Jackson

Morris Jackson
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 21st district
In office January 3, 1967 – March 17, 1984
Preceded by	Districts Created
Succeeded by	Michael R. White
Personal details
Born	April 1, 1918 Araba, Georgia[1]
Died	December 12, 2004 (aged 86) Cleveland, Ohio
Political party	Democratic

M. Morrison Jackson (April 1, 1918 – December 12, 2004) is a former member of the Ohio Senate.

A native of Cleveland, Jackson served in the state Senate from 1967 to 1984. The most senior African American Senator at his time, he held a number of leadership roles during his time. In 1982, upon the Senate's switch to a Democratic majority, Jackson was involved in a Republican coup in which he was promised the position of Senate President if he switched party affiliations. Ultimately, however, he remained with Democrats, and Harry Meshel became the next Senate leader.^[2]

He retired in 1984, and was succeeded by future Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White.

References

2. Alexander P. Lamis , Mary Anne Sharkey. Ohio politics. ISBN 0-87338-509-8. James A. Rhodes's days as governor ended amid yet another bizarre controversy in the General Assembly, but this time it was his fellow Republicans who attempted the power play. Democrats had won control of the Ohio Senate by one seat in the 1982 election, but Republicans were not quite ready to yield. At the December caucus reorganization meeting, veteran senator Theodore M. Gray of Columbus electrified onlookers with these words: "Mr. Chairman, I nominate Senator Morris Jackson for president of the Senate." The words were startling because Senator M. Morris Jackson of Cleveland, the state's senior black senator, was a Democrat. Republicans had persuaded him to join their caucus to give them the majority, promising that he could preside. Jackson felt he had been snubbed by State Democratic leader Harry Meschel of Youngstown, and he agreed to side with the Republican party. After three weeks of intense pressure by state and local Democratic leaders and black civic and religious leaders in the Cleveland community, however, Jackson relented and assured the Democrats of their majority in the Senate.