Jesse Louis Burns, Sr. was born on the 8th October 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina USA. He is a Baptist minister and politician, who earned his fame through his civil rights activism and his presidential candidacy in 1984 and 1988. He had also been a shadow U.S Senator for the District of Columbia in the period from 1991 to 1997.
Have you ever wondered how rich Jesse Jackson is? According to sources it is estimated that Jesse Jackson’s total net worth is $10 million, an amount earned through his political involvement and his organization “Rainbow Push”. Through many years he has become the national spokesman for Afro-Americans, which authoritative position peaked in 2000, when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jesse Jackson Net Worth $10 Million
Jesse’s biological father is Noah Louis Robinson, who was the neighbor of Jesse`s mother 16 year-old Helen Burns; Noah was married and in his early 30s. However, after Jesse’s birth, Helen married Charles Henry Jackson, who later adopted Jesse and gave him his last name, Jackson.
Jesse was educated at Sterling High School in Greenville, where his political skills were first on display, as he was the class president. He also excelled in various sports, which earned him a football scholarship, to the University of Illinois. However he transferred to the North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, from where he graduated with a degree in psychology, and then went on the Theological seminary in Chicago.
Jesse Jackson’s career as a civil rights activist began while he was a student. He was elected to be student body president, and fought against the segregation laws which were represented in those times in theatres, libraries and restaurants. Although he dropped out before earning his masters degree, he was ordained as a Minister in 1968.
The reason Jesse dropped out of theology studies was that he wanted to pursue his career as a civil rights activist further. He started working with Martin Luther King, and earned a name for himself as an activist for Afro-Americans. In 1971 he started his own organization – “People United to Save Humanity” (PUSH). His involvement in civil rights activism slowly started to steer towards mainstream politics, which culminated in 1984 with his candidacy for President of the USA, and with Jackson`s other organization, “Rainbow Coalition” which had a primary role to act in politics. However his candidacy was not successful. Jackson repeated his candidacy in 1988, but the result was the same.
However, Jackson’s career as a civil rights activist had gained momentum. Jackson was now able to act on the International scale; in 1983 he traveled to Syria to secure the release of a captured America pilot. Jackson also had influence in Iraq, more precisely, on the Gulf War; in 1997 he pleaded with Saddam Hussein for the release of the foreign nationalists, who were regarded as the “human shield”.
Jesse’s influence extended also through the 2000s. In 2003 he was an advocate against the invasion of Iraq, attending the Hyde Park demonstrations and speaking in front of, as was later estimated, over a million people. His fame and net worth grew over the years, increasing little by little with his every successful venture.
Overall, his career is quite successful, as changing others people minds means Jackson has been rewarded with several awards for his influence, including “Jefferson Award or Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantage” in 1979, “American Whig-Cliosophic Society`s James Madison Award for Distinguished Public Service” in 1991, In 2008, Jackson was presented with an Honorary Fellowship from Edge Hill University, and many others, which have greatly influenced his total net worth.
Regarding his personal life, and other interests, his political career is also worth mentioning. Other than his presidential candidacies, he was a shadow Senator for the District of Columbia for six years, from 1991 to 1997, which also added a nice amount to his net worth.
Jackson has also been recognized as a Mason: in 1987, Jackson was proclaimed Master Mason on Sight.
Jesse has been married to Jacqueline Brown since 1962, with whom he has five children. However, in 2001 it was revealed that Jackson has another child, a daughter with Karin Stanford, born in 1999. This event made Jackson step out of activism for a short period of time, and as a result of this indiscretion, from 2001 Jackson has been paying $4000 a month for child support.
