Jesse Jackson Jr. grew up in his father 's shadow , placing him on history 's stage as the Rev . Jesse Jackson Sr. led civil rights campaigns , including Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition . Jackson was born in 1965 , just months before President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act , which forced election changes that opened up the political process for African-Americans in the United States . He spent his 21st birthday in a District of Columbia jail cell after being arrested in an anti-apartheid protest at the South African Embassy in 1986 , according to the biography on his congressional website . He was on the stage in Cape Town in 1990 when Nelson Mandela delivered his historic speech after his release from 27 years in a South African prison , the biography says . The younger Jackson earned a Master of Arts degree in theology and then a law degree in 1993 . He served as national field director for his father 's Rainbow Coalition , a role that included leading the campaign to register millions of new voters , the biography says . In 1995 , the 30-year-old Jackson became the 91st African-American elected to Congress . Since then , he has represented Illinois ' 2nd Congressional District , which includes parts of Chicago 's South Side and Cook County suburbs . A potential opportunity created by Barack Obama 's election as president in 2008 ironically triggered a series of events that nearly four years later threatens Jackson 's political career . Jackson , then 43 , spoke with then-Illinois Gov . Rod Blagojevich in fall 2008 about the possibility of being appointed to serve the remaining two years of Obama 's vacated U.S. Senate term . Blagojevich was arrested by federal agents the next day , and was accused of trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder . Jackson said he only presented his credentials and polling information that suggested he could win re-election in 2010 . Blagojevich , eventually convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in March . The House Ethics Committee has been examining allegations Jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for Blagojevich in exchange for the Senate seat . `` In doing so , Rep. Jackson may have violated federal law and House rules concerning the proper use of the member 's representational allowance , '' the statement said . Jackson has maintained his innocence and pledged to continue to cooperate with authorities . `` I did nothing illegal , unethical or inappropriate in that pursuit , and I believe that is what the Ethics Committee will conclude at the end of this process , '' he said . Jackson apologized to his constituents in September 2010 , after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a Chicago businessman told federal investigators that Jackson had asked him to pay for a restaurant hostess to fly between Washington and Chicago several times . He said he was `` deeply sorry '' that he had `` disappointed some supporters . '' The newspaper also reported that the businessman , Raghuveer Nayak , told the FBI that Jackson asked him to raise $ 6 million for Blagojevich in exchange for Obama 's vacated Senate seat . The governor ended up appointing former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the Senate post . Despite the congressional investigation , Jackson decisively won a heated primary for a 10th term . The congressman disappeared from Capitol Hill in May , and in June explained in a statement released by his staff that he was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a `` medical condition . '' On Wednesday , Jackson 's office released a statement that said he is `` receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . '' The statement attributed the quote to an unidentified doctor . The doctor also was quoted as saying Jackson `` is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery . '' Jackson 's wife of 21 years , Sandi Jackson , is a Chicago alderman . The couple met and married during law school . They have two children , Jessica Donatella and Jesse L. Jackson III .
Jesse Jackson Jackson 's famous father brought him along in his civil rights campaigns . At 31 , Jackson became the 91st African - American elected to Congress . The House Ethics Committee is investigating his dealings with former Rep . Jackson . Jackson took a medical leave of absence from Congress in June .