Ira L. Jackson

For other people with the same name, see Ira Jackson.
Ira Jackson
Member of the Atlanta City Council
District 10
In office
1974 – August 1990
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byC. T. Martin
Member of the Atlanta Board of Aldermen
7th Ward, Position 2
In office
1970–1974
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
BornIra L. Jackson
1929 (1929)
DiedFebruary 24, 2024(2024-02-24) (aged 94–95)
Alma materClark College (1957)

Ira L. Jackson (1929 – February 24, 2024) was an American politician who served on the Atlanta City Council and as the commissioner of Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. Jackson was once known as one of Atlanta's most powerful figures before his conviction in a bribery scandal in 1994.

Ira L. Jackson was born to Willie and Annie Jackson.[1] Jackson graduated from Clark College in 1957,[2] where he met his future wife, Annie Fair Shumate. They were married for over 30 years.[3] Jackson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha during college.

During the 1960s, he owned a string of small businesses,[4] including a grocery store[5] and a Pure Oil dealership that became the largest in Georgia.[6][7]

Jackson served on the Atlanta Board of Aldermen for the 7th Ward, Position 2, from 1970 through 1974;[8] then, the board was renamed to the Atlanta City Council, with Jackson representing District 10 from 1974 through 1990.[9] He resigned from the Atlanta City Council in August 1990 after being picked by Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson (no relation) to be the city's aviation commissioner; evidence revealed later in court suggested that Jackson had approached the mayor to ask for the job.[10] He resigned as commissioner on March 8, 1992.[4]

In 1987, the Georgia Municipal Association selected Jackson as its president.[11] He also chaired the Atlanta Regional Commission.[12]

Jackson was convicted in federal court in January 1994 on 130 counts of mail fraud, accepting bribes, and tax evasion in a scheme during the 1980s that illegally earned him over $1 million.[13][14] During the trial, led by prosecutor Sally Yates, Jackson claimed that prosecutors were "out to get all black elected officials".[13] He was sentenced to 31⁄2 years in prison.[15] The Eleventh Circuit upheld the conviction on appeal.[16][4][17]

He was imprisoned at Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama,[18] where his Bureau of Prisons register number was 44120-019.[19]

Following his release, Jackson became a reverend of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia in 2009 at Grace Episcopal Church in Sandersville, Georgia.[20]

Jackson had a son, Ira Jackson Jr.[4]

Jackson died on February 24, 2024 at the age of 94.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ "Ann Shumate Engaged to Mr. Jackson". Atlanta Daily World. Vol. 28, no. 267. June 3, 1956.
  2. ^ Willard, Bernadette (December 3, 1979). "NPU Brightens Fair Street Corridor". The Panther. ...and Ira Jackson, City Councilman and Clark College graduate.
  3. ^ "Annie Fair Shumate Jackson". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "UNITED STATES v. PARADIES (1996)". FindLaw. September 23, 1996. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Jackson's Groceries". Atlanta Daily World. July 22, 1960. Retrieved 3 February 2026. Ira L. Jackson, owner
  6. ^ "Six Outstanding Black Businesses To Receive CRC Honors February 20". February 15, 1969. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Profiles of Model Neighborhood, Inc. Board Members" (PDF). Ivan Allen Jr. Digital Collection. Georgia Tech. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Ira L. Jackson Is Progress..." The Southern Israelite. Vol. XLIV, no. 42. October 17, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Jackson, Ira". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  10. ^ Hill, Alma E. (October 15, 1990). "Field crowded in District 10". The Atlanta Constitution.
  11. ^ "GMA picks Ira Jackson as 1st black president". The Atlanta Constitution. July 1, 1987.
  12. ^ Stone, Clarence N. (1986). "Partnership New South Style: Central Atlanta Progress". Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science. 36 (2): 100–110. doi:10.2307/1173902.
  13. ^ a b Applebome, Peter (January 24, 1994). "2 Are Convicted in Atlanta In Airport Corruption Trial". The New York Times.
  14. ^ "EX-ATLANTA OFFICIAL CONVICTED ON 130 CORRUPTION CHARGES". Deseret News. January 23, 1994. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  15. ^ "2 Atlanta Airport Figures Get Prison Terms". The Los Angeles Times. April 16, 1994.
  16. ^ "QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NON-JUDICIAL NOMINEES: SALLY YATES" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee. 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  17. ^ "The Atlanta Way: Examining Pay-to-Play" (PDF). Common Cause Georgia. 2024.
  18. ^ Radford, Mary F. (December 2000). "Wills, Trusts, and Administration of Estates". Mercer Law Review. 52 (1): 490.
  19. ^ "In Re Estate of Jackson". Justia. Court of Appeals of Georgia. December 9, 1999. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  20. ^ Logue, Frank (August 8, 2009). "When the Spirit Rested on Them— An Ordination Sermon for Ira Jackson". King of Peace. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Mr. Ira Jackson, Sr". M.C. Smith Funeral Home. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  22. ^ LeBlanc, Douglas (May 15, 2024). "Freeman, Jackson, Wong". The Living Church. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
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