Judge Charles W. Jackson

Judge Jackson and Ed Osborne enjoying a "Friday Breakfast". Picture taken in 2005
Courtesy Charles Green, Quin-T Democrat Club.

Obituary posted at the Community Press.

Link to Community Press Notice

Charles W. Jackson

Charles W. Jackson of Chilo died Feb. 22.

Survived by children, Karen, Bill, Paula and Andrew; older sister, Mary; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife Dora Jackson.

Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Memorials to: Quin-T Democrat Club, 785 Greenmound Road, New Richmond, OH 45157.

Judge Charles W. Jackson

Charles Jackson has long been revered for his outstanding work as a Clermont County Judge.  When he retired in 1978, he had served on the bench for 16 years.  With his dedication to fairness and a remarkable sense for attending to details, Judge Jackson's service to our County Judicial system was truly honorable.

Born in Cincinnati and raised in the Norwood and Pleasant Ridge neighborhoods, Charlie graduated from Withrow High School in 1939.  He volunteered for the Air Force in World War II and served as an Armorman in the 368th Fighter Group, stationed in England.  He returned home and took a job as a Social Worker at the Glenview School for Boys.  Meanwhile, he pursued a law degree from Chase Law School on the GI Bill.  After two and a half years of night school, Charlie graduated and began his career as a lawyer.

His first job in Clermont County was with the Chris Rosenhoffer firm in Batavia in 1955.  Mr. Jackson had moved his family to Summerside in 1948 and was glad to be working closer to home.  He initially threw his hat into the political ring in 1958, when he ran against the popular 12-term Judge John Haddon.  Although he lost that race, Charlie was a natural-born campaigner, combining his innate charm with sheer perseverance to become a contender.  He attended every County function and event year-round, and wrote personal thank-you's, not just to all his contributors, but also to every person who signed his candidacy petitions.  It all paid off two years later when he ran for State Representative and won.

In 1962, he was elected County Court Judge, the position we now refer to as Municipal Judge.  Four years later, he made the transition to Probate/Juvenile Judge and was re-elected to a second term in that capacity in 1972.  During his final term, he moved to his home in Chilo, where he was active in the community's historical preservation efforts.

On serving as a public official for Clermont County, Judge Jackson humbly gave credit where credit was due.  "Any office," he said, "is as good or bad as the staff, and I had outstanding staffs in both of mine.  Any success I had is due to the staff and they were devoted to success."

The Judge showing off his "Living Legend Award" in 2007.