J. Dodd (James Dodd) Jackson

Born in Darlington on December 9, 1861, James Dodd Jackson grew up in a Primitive Methodist family; his father was also a minister. He went on to serve across a long list of circuits, building a reputation as a gifted preacher whose strengths were insight, imagination, and expressive language.

His strongest interest was preaching, and later he became connexional editor in 1911. Contemporary accounts described him as widely read, quick-witted, and an able writer, qualities that also shaped his books, including Twixt moor and mead and The Message and the Man: some essentials of effective preaching.

Jackson married Sarah Ann Thomason in 1887 and, after her death, married Elizabeth Bailey Leggett in 1895. He died on December 9, 1918, at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, leaving behind the picture of a minister-author remembered not only for his public speaking and editorial work, but also for his humor, loyalty, and companionship.