Jackson was born in
Rensselaerville, New York. He received his education in New York City, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1838, Jackson moved to
Milwaukee, In 1842, Wisconsin Territorial Governor
James Duane Doty appointed Jackson Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, where he served until 1846. The debate was intense among the Republican caucus as they tried to come to consensus on their nominee; other candidates included
Timothy O. Howe,
Edward D. Holton,
Alexander Randall,
Wyman Spooner, and
James Rood Doolittle. After several days of voting and debate, the Republican caucus coalesced around Doolittle as their nominee on January 21, formally electing him in a joint session of the Legislature two days later. Later in 1857, Jackson was chosen by the Republican state convention as their candidate for
Attorney General of Wisconsin; his opponent at the general election was Oshkosh lawyer
Gabriel Bouck. The Wisconsin electorate was nearly evenly split along partisan lines at the 1857 election, Jackson lost by about 400 votes while Republican gubernatorial candidate Alexander Randall won his race by a mere 118 votes. In 1861, President
Abraham Lincoln appointed Jackson United States consul general in
Halifax,
Canada. ==Legacy==