Jesse Helms Biography

Jesse Helms was a five-term senator from North Carolina and a longtime conservative champion. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he was one of the most powerful men on Capitol Hill, known as a fierce foe of communism, arms control agreements, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Domestically he clashed with liberals over issues ranging from school busing to the National Endowment for the Arts. (He was sometimes called “Senator No” for his implacable opposition to liberal initiatives.) Helms was first elected in 1972, then again in 1978, 1984, 1990, and 1996. He did not run for reelection in 2002 and retired when his term expired in 2003. He was succeeded by Elizabeth Dole.