William J. Jefferson (Finding Aid)

William J. Jefferson

1947 -

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Fish

Favorite Time of Year: Summer and Fall

Favorite Vacation Spot: Disney World and Africa

Interview Length: 112 minutes

Interview Date(s): June 10, 2003, June 11, 2003

Interview Location(s): Washington, D.C.

Abstract

William Jennings Jefferson, U.S. Representative from Louisiana, tells about his family background, including his great-grandfather, a former slave who had fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War. He tells about growing up on a small farm in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, where black children generally received a sparse education scheduled around field work and usually left school by age thirteen or fourteen. Jefferson, however, went on to high school, due to strong encouragement from a fifth grade teacher, church folks and especially his own parents who, although they had not attended high school themselves, placed a great emphasis on education for their children, all ten of whom went to college. Jefferson also remembers the civil rights movement in northeast Louisiana when he was a boy, especially his mother's involvement with African American voter registration efforts. Congressman William Jennings Jefferson talks about his youth, recalling local civil rights leaders in northern Louisiana and the violent enforcement of white supremacy in the area. He describes his education at Southern University and Harvard Law School, and his early jobs clerking for Judge Alvin Rubin in New Orleans, Louisiana and serving as legislative assistant to Senator John Bennett Johnston. He also mentions his brief military service and tells about his successful run for the Louisiana state senate in 1979. Congressman William Jennings Jefferson talks about his political career in the Louisiana State Senate and his successful law practice. He remembers his 1990 campaign to replace the retiring congresswoman Lindy Boggs, and recalls highlights of his career in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1990s. Democratic Congressman William Jennings Jefferson of Louisiana talks about his workin the area of United States-African relations, arguing that African countries are generally favorable to the U.S. and that greater strategic and economic partnerships should be forged. He discusses domestic politics in the 1990s-2000s and issues of reparations, affirmative action and criminal justice. Finally, he considers his own legacy and says he would like to be remembered as "someone who didn't forget where he came from and who cared enough about people to fight for them."

27 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)