William “Bill” Elias Jackson, Jr., passed away at home in Davidson on June 8th, at the age of 90. He was born at home on the family farm in the North Carolina Sandhills, to William Elias Jackson and Laura Helen Sullivan Jackson of West End, on September 21, 1935. As a boy, he plowed tobacco with a mule, picked peaches and played baseball, beginning his lifelong love of the New York Yankees.

He graduated from Davidson College ’57 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, received a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Philosophy in Political Science from Columbia University. He served in the Executive Office of the President under President John F. Kennedy in 1963, during which time he attended Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. After President Kennedy was assassinated, he returned to North Carolina to teach at Charlotte College (now UNC Charlotte).  In 1964, he met and married Judith Ann Fletcher and the following year, the couple moved to New York where he continued his graduate studies at Columbia University’s Russian Institute. In 1968, they relocated to Davidson, NC, where he taught courses in government and politics at Davidson College.

He continued his career in national government as the chief legislative assistant for national security to Senate Democratic Majority Whip Alan Cranston. Subsequently he was the Executive Director of President Carter’s General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, then the Special Assistant to the Chief SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II) Negotiator, Paul Warnke, and finally served in the office of Congressional Relations under Secretary of State Ed Muskie. He was a foreign policy scholar at the Brookings Institution and Senior Fellow at the Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas. A highlight of his life was his “brush with greatness” when a student, Zindzi, told him she was sharing notes from his lectures at the University of Cape Town, with her father Nelson Mandela, in prison on Robben Island, and then meeting Madiba in person in 1990.

He was passionate about the United States of America and cared deeply about government and domestic and foreign policy. For over 60 years, he published academic articles, journalistic pieces, and letters to the editor at the national and local level on topics including nuclear proliferation and disarmament, US-Soviet relations, US foreign policy, human rights and voter rights, holding politicians accountable for their actions.  In 2007, he was awarded the Davidson College Distinguished Alumni Award for distinguished service to his profession and community. He attended Davidson College Presbyterian Church as a student and again in his final decades.

In addition to his passion for government and foreign policy, he loved poetry. He wrote for family and friends and occasionally published his poems locally. His byline in the News of Davidson was “Through three careers–college professor, government official in Washington, and journalism – Bill Jackson has enjoyed poetry more than prose.” He drew inspiration from the ocean and his favorite place Sunset Beach, where he treasured time with family and friends. He loved writing poetry about, and with his granddaughter and kindred spirit Beatrice. He frequently brought her to the Soda Shop in Davidson, where he was a regular, visiting with old friends and making new ones.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Judith Jackson, son James Andrew Jackson, daughter Elizabeth Jackson (husband Seth Chadbourne), and granddaughter Beatrice Chadbourne of Davidson, NC; sister Jane Ellen Jackson and honorary sister Juliana Dyson of Stallings, NC; sister-in-law Patricia Jackson of Carthage, NC; sister-in-law Diane Fletcher Mahoney of Waynesboro, VA ; and 5 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother J. Elvin Jackson.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2026, 3 pm at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (streamed on youtube) and on Saturday, August 1, 2026, 2 pm, at West End Presbyterian Church, with receptions following. The family expresses their gratitude to Atrium Health Hospice & Palliative Care Cabarrus and longtime caregiver Andrea.

Carolina Cremation is assisting the Jackson family. Online condolences may be made at www.carolinacremation.com.