Jacobs served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1959 to 1960. In 1964 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat in the overwhelming Democratic landslide of 1964. He was appointed to the House Judiciary Committee, on which he coauthored the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jacobs was an active participant in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. Jacobs was an early opponent of the Vietnam War, and led an all-night debate against American military involvement in Vietnam during the war, the first critical discussion of the Vietnam War in the House of Representatives. In his criticism of the Vietnam War, Andy Jacobs reportedly coined the term "War wimp" to a describe a politician who advocated war but who had avoided military service earlier in life. In the 1972 Congressional election, future Indianapolis MayorBill Hudnut defeated Jacobs. In the 1974 Democratic landslide, however, Jacobs defeated Hudnut, regaining his old seat in the House. Following the election he was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, on which he served until his retirement from Congress in 1997. He eventually served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security. In 1985, Jacobs introduced a proposal to adopt "America the Beautiful" as the U.S. national anthem in place of "The Star-Spangled Banner". Jacobs was involved in major Social Security reforms in the 1980s, which included making Social Security an independent government organization. He wrote legislation requiring physical bonds to exist representing the money Social Security had collected. He retired from Congress in 1997, with a reputation for bipartisan effort, compromise, and humor. He endorsed Julia Carson as his replacement. She served until her death in 2007, after which her grandson, André Carson, made a successful bid for her seat.
Retirement and death
Following his retirement from Congress, Jacobs taught political science at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. He wrote and published two memoirs criticizing American militarism. He was also a regular contributor to NUVO Magazine in Indianapolis. He was a strong opponent of American military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s. Jacobs died on December 28, 2013, at his home in Indianapolis, aged 81. He was survived by his third wife, television reporter Kim Jacobs, and two sons.
