Career
Born in Deltaville, Virginia, Jackson went west in 1880, settling in Pendleton, Oregon. There, he bought the Pendleton-based East Oregonian, becoming its publisher in 1882 and developing it into a successful regional paper. In 1886, Sam Jackson and the former Maria Clopton, also originally from Virginia, were married, in Pendleton.
They had two sons, Francis C. and Philip L. Jackson, both born in Pendleton.
In 1902, a group of influential Portlanders persuaded Jackson to sell the East Oregonian and move to Portland to revive the failing Portland Evening Journal. Under his direction, the latter was renamed first the Oregon Daily Journal and then simply The Journal became successful as the main (Democratic-leaning) competitor to Portland"s (Republican-leaning) daily paper, The Oregonian.
In his first editorial at the helm of the paper, on July 23, 1902, Jackson declared that: "The Journal in head and heart will stand for the people, be truly Democratic and free from political entanglements and machinations, believing in the principles that promise the greatest good to the greatest number – to ALL MEN, regardless of race, creed or previous condition of servitude. lieutenant shall be a FAIR newspaper and not a dull and selfish sheet – a cr to "Where rolls the Oregon" country." Jackson led the Journal for 22 years as owner, publisher and editor, until his death in 1924.
Maria Jackson remained involved in the business until her death in 1956, at the age of 93.