|name=Jesse Helms
|image=JesseHelms.jpg
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=Dorothy "Dot" Helms
|religion=[[Baptist]]
|serviceyears=1942-1945
}}
'''Jesse Helms''' (born Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., October 18, 1921, d. July 4, 2008) was a five-time [[Republican]] [[U.S. Senator|senator]] from [[North Carolina]].<ref name="bioguide.congress.gov">http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000463</ref> Helms, throughout his tenure as United States Senator was known for his [[conservative]] principles, including his support for a strong defense, individual rights, the oppressed, and support for freedom. Like most conservative politicians who eschew political correctness, Helms was frequently the target of mainstream [[media bias]], despite his former career in the media.<ref name="jessehelmscenter.org">http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/jessehelms/biography.asp</ref> Helms was a staunch advocate for equality under law, but due to his Southern background and incorrect party affiliation, his positions were misrepresented through typically biased reporting.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080609062721/http://www.jessehelmscenter.org/jessehelms/fictionortruth.asp Fiction or Truth: Correcting myths about Senator Helms]</ref> However, Helms opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<ref>[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-07-04-3453838024_x.htm Jesse Helms: Polarizer, not a compromiser], [[USA Today]]</ref> Helms also opposed extending the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Reagan called Helms a "lionhearted leader of a great and growing army."<ref>[http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/1755723/ Conservative icon Jesse Helms dead at 86]</ref>