Ladies and Gentlemen: 
Today, I will relate to you a brief account of the life of one 
of the Mahoning Valley's most distinguished residents. As a 
statesman and a member of the Fourth Estate, Clingan Jackson 
has contributed significantly to the prestige of our community. 
Clingan Jackson is a native of Youngstown, having been born to 
Mr. & Mrs. John Calvin Jackson in a house next door to his current 
residence on Jacobs Road. He is of Scotch-Irish descent on both 
sides of his family, an ethnic group of major importance. During 
the period of English history known as the Protectorate, which 
lasted from 1649 to 1660 , Oliver Cromwell recruited mercenaries 
to put down revolts in Ireland. For their services, these soldiers 
of fortune received grants of land. After the Protectorate fell 
and the British monarchy was restored, the positions of the merce- . 
naries' descendents were threatened. Between 1710 and 1720, 
50 0,000 of these "Scotch-Irish" emigrated to the New \vorld, as 
Queen Anne refused to renew any Cromwellian land grants. Mr. 
Jackson I s first ancestor in this country, Isaac Jackson, landed 
in Baltimore during this period. Jackson's great-great-great 
grandfather, Philip Jackson, left his home in Pennsylv:mia and 
looked for better farmland, set tl ing in Oh io around 1800. Al so 
distantly related to Mr. Jackson were Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson 
and Gideon Jackson of Civil War-era fame. 
Jackson's mother was Evalina Clingan, a cousin of John R.T. Clingan 
o f Nil e s , for whom You n g s tow n S tat e Un i v e r sit y 's C 1 in g an - Wad dell 
Hall is partially named. A distant ancestor, William Clingan, 
was one of the signers of the Articles of Confederation. Other 
forebears include Samuel Tyler, one of the original settlers 
of Hubbard, and a family named Augustine, which traced part of 
its line to George Washington. 
Clingan Jackson attended the University of Colorado, where he 
majored in History and English. . Graduating in 1929, Jackson 
worked for a time in the accounting department of Ohio Edison. 
2 
Also in 1929, he applied for his first job with the Youngstown 
Vindicator. Hired by William F. Maag, Jr. himself, Jackson had 
previously written articles for the Vindicator, these dealing 
with the history of Carbon, Pennsylvania's Quaker Falls, and 
other topics. In his early days with the paper, Jackson did 
a little of everything, no matter how menial the task, such as 
writing stories around "cuts," which are old pictures kept on 
file by the Vindicator. Eventually, he came to be invol ved 
in more meaningful events. Jackson served as a labor reporter 
during the Steel Strike of 1937, at which time he was condemned 
by the C.I.O. as "anti-Union." While living in Lowellville, 
a town councilman named Dr. Erskine died while in office. Jackson 
wrote his obituary for the Vindicator. The citizens of Lowellville 
were so impressed by this piece that they chose Jackson as Erskine's 
replacement. Thus began Clingan Jackson's role in politics. 
In 1928, the Democratic Party experienced a period of revival, 
wi th Al Smi th leading the way as its Presidential candidate. 
Though Hoover and the Republicans won the day, the Stock Market 
Crash of 1929 and the resulting depression helped the Democrats 
gain political ground. In 1934, Jackson was chosen by the Democrats 
to be their candidate for State Representative. Jackson won 
and served for two years. Later, he stood for the U.S. Congress, .'. . 
but was defeated in the primary. 
Between 1944 and 1950, Jackson served as Ohio State Senator. 
During this time, Senator Jackson served on the Ohio Programs 
Commission and authored a bill that created the Ohio Department 
of Natual Resources. In the 1950's, Jackson travelled all 18,000 
miles of Ohio's state highways as Chairman of the Ohio Highway 
Construction Council and played a major role in the building 
of Ohio's interstate highway system in the 1960' s. Jackson has 
also been a member of Ohio's Pardon & Parole Commission and served 
on the Ohio Civil Rights Commission for more than 22 years. 
3 
Simultaneously, Jackson worked for the Vindicator, eventually 
as political editor. In such a capacity, he has interviewed 
every President from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan. Other 
dignitaries he has met have included Alf Landon, H.L. Mencken, 
Haile Salassie, Charles de Gaulle, and Will Rogers. After 54 
years with the Vindicator, Jackson retired and lives in a house 
that he built in 1939 on land inherited from his family. However, 
he has remained active, serving as a member of the Youngstown 
Charter Rev ie1tJ Commission and as Chairman of the Mul ti-Purpose 
Senior Citizens Center. 
As a journalist, public servant, and concerned citizen, Clingan · 
Jackson serves Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley as a model 
of integrity, courage, and moral pe~severance. He has been (and 
continues to be) the incaination of public spirit and a man worthy 
of our accolades. 
December 11, 1986 . Brian K. Brennan 
Ethnic History & Library 
Committee 
Hildegard Schnuttgen, 
Chairman