Helms, Jesse

▪ 1998

      Widely recognized as an icon of Republican conservatism, U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina exerted considerable influence over foreign policy in 1997 as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Portrayed by his critics as a demagogue and an extremist, Helms nevertheless displayed formidable skills as a politician, utilizing the power of his chairmanship to influence debate on foreign-policy issues and to stall the confirmation of White House nominees. In a well-publicized round of political hardball, Helms refused to schedule a confirmation hearing for Pres. Bill Clinton's nominee for the ambassadorship to Mexico, William F. Weld, a moderate Republican who was a two-term governor of Massachusetts. Eventually forced to hold a committee meeting on the subject in September, Helms invoked his right to set the meeting's agenda, which consisted only of a Helms monologue lambasting his opponents. Weld withdrew his name from consideration for the post the following week. Earlier in the year, Helms had flexed his political muscles by delaying a Senate vote on the Chemical Weapons Convention, a disarmament treaty that he opposed. The treaty was ratified, but not until Helms won key concessions from Clinton on another issue, the reorganization of foreign-policy agencies.

      Helms was born in Monroe, N.C., on Oct. 18, 1921. After attending Wingate (N.C.) Junior College and Wake Forest College, Winston-Salem, N.C., he served in the U.S. Navy (1942-45). He worked as a journalist, congressional aide, and banking executive before embarking on a career as a political commentator for WRAL-TV (1960-72) in Raleigh, N.C. Originally a Democrat, Helms left the Democratic Party in 1970 and two years later won a Senate seat as a Republican. Having won every subsequent election, including a notoriously expensive race in 1984 against Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., Helms was serving his fifth consecutive term in 1997.

      As senator, Helms maintained a staunchly conservative stance on social issues, leading crusades against abortion and homosexuality, supporting prayer in public schools, and opposing the busing of students for racial integration. When the tobacco industry came under attack in 1997, he remained loyal to tobacco interests, as North Carolina was the country's leading tobacco producer.

      Helms's installation as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1994 assured him of a powerful voice in foreign affairs. With Republican Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, he cosponsored the Helms-Burton Act (1996), which punished certain foreign companies that did business with Cuba. A longtime critic of the United Nations, Helms was the driving force behind budget cuts that forestalled payment of debts to the UN.

AFRODITE MANTZAVRAKOS

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▪ American politician

in full  Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. 

born Oct. 18, 1921, Monroe, N.C., U.S.

died July 4, 2008, Raleigh, N.C.

      American politician and longtime member of the U.S. Senate (1973–2003), who was a leading figure in the conservative movement. Nicknamed “Senator No,” he was perhaps best known for his vehement opposition to civil rights and gay rights.

      Helms, the son of the chief of police in Monroe, N.C., attended Wingate Junior College and Wake Forest College (now Wake Forest University; in Winston-Salem) but abandoned his schooling in 1941. He served as a recruiter for the U.S. Navy (1942–45) before becoming city editor for The Raleigh Times, and from 1948 to 1951 he was program director for the radio station WRAL in Raleigh. He then served as an aide to North Carolina Senators Willis Smith (1951–53) and Alton Lennon (1953). In 1953 he became the executive director of the North Carolina Bankers Association, a position he held until 1960. That year he began working as a political commentator for WRAL, WRAL-TV, and the Tobacco Radio Network.

      Originally a Democrat (Democratic Party), Helms left the party in 1970. His political transformation was in large part due to his opposition to the Civil Rights Act (1964) that was passed under Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson (Johnson, Lyndon B.). In 1972 Helms was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican (Republican Party). As senator, he maintained a staunchly conservative stance on social issues, leading crusades against abortion and homosexuality, supporting prayer in public schools, and opposing the busing of students for racial integration. A polarizing political figure, Helms was reelected four times—in 1978, 1984, 1990, and 1996—but never garnered more than 55 percent of the vote. His campaigns were often criticized for their adversarial tone, as when in 1990, while running against Harvey Gantt, an African American candidate, Helms employed what many considered a blatantly racist television ad that attacked affirmative action.

      Helms served as the Senate Agriculture Committee chair (1981–87) and as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1995–2000). In the latter position, he supported military governments in Latin America, actively opposed arms control, and fought against nearly all foreign aid programs, claiming that such efforts were analogous to “pouring money down foreign rat holes.” Portrayed by his critics as a demagogue, an extremist, and a bigot—he famously opposed the creation of a national holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr., Day) in honour of Martin Luther King, Jr. (King, Martin Luther, Jr.)—Helms nevertheless displayed formidable skills as a politician, utilizing the power of his chairmanship to influence debate on foreign policy issues and to stall the confirmation of Pres. Bill Clinton (Clinton, Bill)'s nominees.

      Toward the end of his career, Helms was influenced by the activism of rock musician Bono, who encouraged him to reconsider his position on AIDS. Though Helms had in the past opposed federal spending on AIDS in the U.S.—claiming that the disease was a result of homosexual behaviour—in his final year in the Senate he sponsored a bill that provided relief to AIDS victims in Africa, where transmission of the disease occurs largely through heterosexual contact. While his “Old South” opinions on social issues were sometimes problematic even for those in his own party, Helms stood as an influential icon of Republican conservatism.

      Helms published Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir in 2005.

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