2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 73
Celebrating the life of William Lorenzo Jackson, Sr.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 9, 2026
WHEREAS, William Lorenzo Jackson, Sr., an honorable veteran, esteemed member of the United States Food and Drug Administration, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and treasured member of the Reston community, died on January 6, 2026; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, William “Bill” Lorenzo Jackson, Sr., enlisted with the United States Army and was stationed in Germany, where he helped fellow Black enlistees succeed in the service by teaching them basic literacy skills; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his leadership, Bill Jackson was selected for the U.S. Army's Officer Candidate School, and he became the second youngest 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army at the age of 19; and
WHEREAS, Bill Jackson trained as an artillery officer then joined the United Nations' forces in South Korea, where he bravely assisted with the withdrawal of U.S. Marines from the Chosin Reservoir, garnering several combat and theater awards; and
WHEREAS, following his service, Bill Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in zoology at Indiana University and worked for a year as a research assistant in the university's medical department before he was hired as an inspector with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making history as the first Black inspector in the history of the agency; and
WHEREAS, Bill Jackson's distinguished, 36-year career with the FDA took him to Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., as he steadily rose through the ranks before ultimately retiring as the special assistant to the associate commissioner of compliance; and