Civic leader. A graduate of Catholic University of America and Harvard Law School, his interest in politics led him to the chairmanship of the state Democratic party in 1946. Over the succeeding 29 years, he would become a dominant figure in Connecticut politics, grooming from their early days iconic leaders including Abraham A. Ribicoff and Ella T. Grasso. An early supporter of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential bid, he was named the chairman of the Democratic National Committee upon JFK's election. He stayed on through Lyndon Johnson's time in the White House and stepped down in 1968. He returned to state politics and presided over campaigns including Grasso's 1974 gubernatorial bid, when she became the first female in the country elected governor in her own right. After his death, state Democrats renamed their annual banquet to incorporate his name - the Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey Dinner.

Civic leader. A graduate of Catholic University of America and Harvard Law School, his interest in politics led him to the chairmanship of the state Democratic party in 1946. Over the succeeding 29 years, he would become a dominant figure in Connecticut politics, grooming from their early days iconic leaders including Abraham A. Ribicoff and Ella T. Grasso. An early supporter of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential bid, he was named the chairman of the Democratic National Committee upon JFK's election. He stayed on through Lyndon Johnson's time in the White House and stepped down in 1968. He returned to state politics and presided over campaigns including Grasso's 1974 gubernatorial bid, when she became the first female in the country elected governor in her own right. After his death, state Democrats renamed their annual banquet to incorporate his name - the Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey Dinner.