Described as “arguably the most powerful nonelected citizen in Oregon history,” Glenn Jackson left his mark on Southern Oregon.
Born in 1902 in Albany, Ore., Jackson would own 10 newspapers, including the Ashland Daily Tidings, and serve as chairman of the Oregon State Highway Commission and as chief executive of Pacific Power and Light, the Northwest’s largest electricity supplier. In Southern Oregon, Jackson owned a country club, was a president of the Rogue Valley Chamber of Commerce, created the White City industrial park and pushed development of the Mount Ashland ski area.
This summer’s Oregon Quarterly magazine says Jackson also “built the finest highway and park system in the country; raised money for the Oregon Symphony and St. Vincent's hospital; championed the Boy Scouts; created opportunities in business for the underprivileged; supported 4-H, the cattlemen, and agriculture; … promoted tourism and protected the environment … (and) worked for the Willamette Greenway, the beach bill, and the bottle bill…”
Former Gov. Bob Straub once said, “: "As long as Oregon is Oregon, Glenn Jackson's name will shine … as a person who has done more than anybody else to improve this state and to benefit (its) …people.”
Sources: Frohnmayer, John. "“Mr. Oregon: Our State's Most Powerful and Least Remembered Leader." Oregon Quarterly Magazine of the University of Oregon 93.4 (2014). Web. 5 June 2014; Mahoney, Barbara. "Glenn Jackson (1902-1980)." The Oregon Encyclopedia.. Portland State University; Oregon Historical Society, 2014. Web. 5 June 2014.
