Helms, Jesse Alexander

▪ 2009

      American politician

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

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

as a longtime member (1973–2003) of the U.S. Senate, was a leading figure in the conservative movement. Nicknamed “Senator No,” he maintained a staunchly right-wing stance on social issues, leading crusades against abortion and homosexuality, supporting prayer in public schools, and opposing the busing of students for racial integration, but he was perhaps best known for his vehement opposition to civil rights and gay rights. Helms attended Wingate (N.C.) Junior College (now Wingate University) and Wake Forest College (now Wake Forest University), Winston-Salem, N.C., but abandoned his schooling in 1941, becoming city editor for the Raleigh Times. He served (1942–45) as a navy recruiter and from 1948 to 1951 was program director for radio station WRAL in Raleigh. He then served as an aide to North Carolina Senators Willis Smith (1951–53) and Alton Lennon (1953), was the executive director (1953–60) of the North Carolina Bankers Association, and worked as a political commentator (1960–72) for WRAL, WRAL-TV, and the Tobacco Radio Network. Originally a Democrat, Helms left the party in 1970, in large part because of his opposition to the Civil Rights Act (1964), and two years later he was elected to the Senate as a Republican. Portrayed by his critics as a demagogue, an extremist, and a bigot—he famously opposed the creation of a national holiday in honour of Martin Luther King, Jr.—Helms nevertheless displayed formidable skills as a politician and was reelected four times (1978, 1984, 1990, and 1996), though he never garnered more than 55% of the vote. He served as the chair of the Senate's Agriculture Committee (1981–86) and 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. In his final year in the Senate, he reconsidered his earlier position on HIV/AIDS and sponsored a bill that provided relief to AIDS victims in Africa, where transmission of the disease occurred largely through heterosexual contact. Helms published Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir in 2005.

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