Sandi Jackson

Sandra Lee Jackson (née Stevens; born September 14, 1963) is an American politician.

Later Jackson helped her mother clean homes to pay her way through Bowling Green State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1985.

Jackson's father, Robert Stevens, was from Akron.

After the 1988 Democratic National Convention, she began working for Michael Dukakis who had become the Democratic party's nominee for United States President in the 1988 United States presidential election.

The couple married on June 1, 1991.

The Jackson family keeps two homes.

They own one in the South Shore community area, which is within both the Illinois's 2nd congressional district that Congressman Jackson represented in the United States House of Representatives and within the seventh ward that Sandi Jackson represents on the Chicago City Council.

The South Shore home serves as an election base.

Jackson met her future husband while still a law student at Georgetown University Law Center and he convinced her to transfer to be with him at the University of Illinois College of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor in 1992.

Jackson's political career prior to her election as 7th Ward Alderman included the following positions: Deputy Director of Training for the Democratic National Committee, Director of Scheduling Operations for Rev. Jesse Jackson, Vice President of Congressional and External Affairs for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (appointed by Bill Clinton), Director of VIP Relations for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, National Outreach Coordinator for the Clinton/Gore 96 Campaign, and campaign manager and chief political strategist for many other politicians.

While Jackson was serving as the Export-Import Bank's director of congressional affairs, she lobbied in opposition of her husband's proposal to tighten the restrictions on the activities in Africa of the Export-Import Bank.

She did so successfully, as her husband's amendment failed.

In a highly publicized medical case, she lost a boy who was born four months premature at University of Utah Medical Center in 1998.

Complications arose while the couple was attending a youth leadership conference in Deer Valley 20 miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Jacksons have two children, Jessica Donatella Jackson (born March 13, 2000) and Jesse Louis Jackson, III, who is nicknamed "Tre", (born September 19, 2003).

Sarah Stevens accompanies the family on commutes between Chicago and Washington.

Jessica attended school in the Washington Metropolitan Area before Jackson's service on the city council.

In 2001, Jackson had a chili recipe published in "The Barking Gourmet," the St. Albans School family cookbook.

She succeeded Darcel A. Beavers who had been appointed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley after the 2006 November elections to succeed her father William Beavers, Jackson's rival, as alderman of the 7th Ward.

She was elected to the Chicago City Council as an alderman of the 7th ward of the City of Chicago in the 2007 municipal elections held on February 27, 2007.

After Jackson was elected to serve as a full-time politician in a local legislative body in Chicago, she and her husband decided to have their children attend school in Chicago starting in the fall of 2007.

Later, however, the family decided to keep their base in Washington.

The family's residential choice has been a campaign issue as well as fodder for a local op-ed discussant.

Jackson had suffered multiple miscarriages before the birth of her two children.

Jackson survived a three-hour surgical removal of a benign tumor from her neck on May 7, 2008.

During the 2008 Christmas holidays, the family suffered a fire and was forced to spend the holiday season in a downtown hotel.

This home was the featured renovation on an HGTV Hidden Potential episode, first aired on March 24, 2009.

They also own a home in Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., which served as the family home and base for his service in Congress prior to her election.

Prior to being elected, Jackson resided four days a week in Chicago and three days a week in Washington D.C.

Jackson resigned from Chicago City Council, effective January 15, 2013.

On February 20, 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of filing false tax returns, and on August 14, 2013, was sentenced to one year in prison.

She is the ex-wife of former U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.. and erstwhile daughter-in-law of Jesse Jackson.

Her candidacy for the city council of a major city was part of national news stories in The New York Times, and thoughts of her running for a position in the United States House of Representatives were noted in Time.

Jackson has also been a longtime political consultant through her solely owned consulting firm J. Donatella & Associates.

Born in Kittery, Maine, Jackson grew up in Akron, Ohio.

She is an alumna of Buchtel High School in Akron.

Her mother, Sarah Stevens, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, worked three jobs cleaning homes to raise Jackson and two other children.

On July 14, 2016, Jackson's husband filed for divorce from her in Cook County, Illinois.

They reached a settlement in April 2018.

Early in Jackson's political career she served as press secretary for United States Congressman Mickey Leland.