Jon Hinson

Jon Hinson (1979)

Jon Clifton Hinson (born March 16, 1942 in Tylertown , Walthall County , Mississippi , † July 21, 1995 in Silver Spring , Maryland) was an American politician . Between 1979 and 1981 he represented the fourth constituency of the state of Mississippi in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Jon Hinson attended the public schools of his home country and then, until 1964, the University of Mississippi . Between 1964 and 1970 he was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve . Politically, he was a member of the Republican Party . From 1968 to 1973, Hinson served on the staff of Congressman Charles H. Griffin ; then he worked for Thad Cochran , also a congressman from Mississippi, in the same function until 1977 .

In 1978, Hinson was elected to succeed Cochran in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC . Hinson first ran into trouble during his first term in Congress . He had to deal with allegations of homosexuality, which was then criminal in the United States. Even so, he was confirmed in the 1980 congressional elections. The politician, who is married to Cynthia Hinson, was arrested and charged with homosexual acts on February 5, 1981. As a result, he resigned as Congressman on April 13, 1981. The due by-election in the fourth constituency of Mississippi was won by Democrat Wayne Dowdy .

Soon after his retirement, Hinson admitted to being gay. He was divorced and henceforth campaigned for more rights for homosexuals in society and in the military. He left the state of Mississippi for ever and first lived in Alexandria ( Virginia ) and then in Silver Spring (Maryland). He later fell ill with AIDS , from which he died in 1995.

Web links

• Jon Hinson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Jon Hinson in the database of Find a Grave (English)