in the United States Army. He was commissioned as a captain in November 1917 and stationed in Toledo, Ohio. He was soon moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, and then Lafayette, Indiana, where he was promoted to major and made commandant of a training facility. He continued to train new recruits until he was discharged from the army in February 1919. Ku Klux Klan After leaving the military, Jackson opened a new law office in Lafayette, Indiana. In 1920 Governor of Indiana James P. Goodrich appointed Jackson as Secretary of State after the incumbent William Roach died in January 1920. In 1922, he campaigned for the office and was elected. Jackson was interested in running for higher office, and began to seek out supporters for his coming bid for the governorship. There is no evidence that Jackson ever was a member of the KKK. However, he was approached by D. C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan, who discussed issues of interest to the Klan, such as eliminating the influence of Catholics, Jews and 'coloreds'. Although the full extent of the Klan's power was unknown at that time, it claimed that its members occupied more than half the seats in the Indiana General Assembly, and a large percentage of the local offices in Indiana. Historians estimate that nearly a third of the men in the state belonged to the Klan. At the time, the public generally perceived the Klan members as defenders of justice, morality, and Americanism. The organization's reputation and influence made Jackson decide to accept their support. Many Hoosiers feared that the Klan would control the state legislature in 1924. However, historian James Madison points out that, "The Klan's effort ended in nearly total failure." Jackson soon found his deal with Klan leaders to be troublesome, as the Klan began demanding specific actions from him. He granted the Klan a state charter, to the disgust of Republican Governor Warren T. McCray who was one of the only state officials to try to battle them. Jackson worked to persuade McCray to support the Klan's agenda, and in 1923, Jackson offered McCray a $10,000 bribe on behalf of Stephenson if he would fill several public offices with Klan members. McCray, a millionaire, declined the bribe and was offended at the offer. The dealing was behind the scenes and not made public. Governor The Klan's support of Jackson did not seem