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Class Notes
A Tribute to
Congressman Edgar “Ed” Jenkins, ’51
1933–2012
U.S. Congressman and attorney Edgar Lanier “Ed” Jenkins, ’51, of Jasper,
will always be remembered for the influential role he played in many pivotal
events in America’s political history and his outstanding legacy of leadership
and dedication to public service. The distinguished Young Harris College
alumnus and trustee emeritus died Jan. 1, 2012.
Ed Jenkins, ‘51
Born in 1933 in Towns County,
Jenkins was employed by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation prior to
serving in the U.S. Coast Guard from
1952 to 1955. He attended Young
Harris College from 1949 to 1951
and completed his college studies
on the G.I. Bill, graduating from the
University of Georgia School of Law
in 1959. He was admitted to the State
Bar of Georgia that same year and,
in 1962, became an Assistant U. S.
Attorney for the Northern District
of Georgia and then entered private
law practice in Jasper in 1965. He
was also a staff member and longtime
confidante of Congressman Phil
Landrum, also of Jasper.
Jenkins was elected to the United
States House of Representatives in
1976 and served with distinction for
YHC President Cathy Cox presents a resolution
from the YHC Board of Trustees honoring Ed
Jenkins, ‘51, to his wife, Jo Jenkins, and daughter
Amy Dotson, ‘88.
16 years, in a coveted post on the influential Ways and Means
Committee. His leadership on behalf of the textile, apparel
and poultry industries, focusing on global fair trade, was a
legislative highlight of his career, along with numerous tax
revisions that reduced capital gains and inheritance taxes and
insured equity for all taxpayers. His vigilance on behalf of small
business owners repeatedly earned him the National Federation
of Independent Business “Guardian of Small Business” award.
He authored comprehensive soil and water conservation laws
and wilderness protection statutes for the Chattahoochee
National Forest.
He was the sole non-chair appointed to the Joint Committee
that investigated the Iran-Contra Affair, which involved the
unlawful sale of missiles to Iran, and he trekked around
Pakistan and Afghanistan on trade missions with Texas
Congressman Charlie Wilson.
He earned a reputation in Congress as
a negotiator, working behind the scenes
to effect compromises on major pieces of
legislation, and the Almanac of American
Politics described him as “one of the
smartest operators on Capitol Hill.”
In honor of his service to the people
of north Georgia, 23,000 acres of the
Chattahoochee National Forest were
designated the Ed Jenkins National
Recreation Area.
Acknowledging his commitment
to public education for all Georgians,
Jenkins accepted an appointment to the
University System of Georgia’s Board of
Regents by his former YHC classmate and
friend, then-Governor Zell Miller, ’51. He
also served as a founding board member
of Pickens Technical Institute.
Jenkins joined the Young Harris
College Board of Trustees in 1988 and
was voted a trustee emeritus in 1999. In 1990, he received
the Young Harris College Medallion, the College’s highest
honor, then delivered the Commencement address in 1992.
He was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime
Career Achievement in 2011 by the YHC Alumni Association.
He established three endowed scholarships at YHC to assist
deserving students: the Ed Jenkins Scholarship, the Amy
Jenkins Scholarship and the Pickens County Scholarship.
On April 13, 2012, during the spring meeting of the Young
Harris College Board of Trustees, the board unanimously
passed a resolution honoring Jenkins for his service and
dedication as a loyal alumnus, a member of the Board of
Trustees and a generous, enthusiastic supporter of the College.
The resolution was presented to his wife, Jo Jenkins, and
daughter Amy Dotson, ’88.
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