Jerry Northington
Encyclopedia
Jerry Northington sought the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. The race was an effort to unseat long-term Republican incumbent Michael Castle from the US House of Representatives
. The Primary election went to his opponent, Karen Hartly-Nagle.
Northington is a life-long Democrat and is seeking that party’s nomination in the September, 2008 primary. The district encompasses the entire state of Delaware
. A veterinarian and small businessman by profession, Northington describes himself as “a veteran for peace, education and healthcare.”
Dr. Northington received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1975.
Northington is also a lifelong musician. He plays the dulcimer
and banjo
and sings the traditional old-time music of Appalachia
.
, Northington trained at Fort Campbell, KY as a tank driver and was assigned to a tank
battalion in the 3rd Armored Division
stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany. During a 17-month assignment in Germany he was sent to school for additional training as a communications technician and then as communications chief.
Promotions during the time in Germany led to a final grade of sergeant E-5 (Buck sergeant) and an accumulated three stripes on the sleeve. In August 1969 he was sent to Vietnam
and assigned to a combat infantry company. Details of how Dr. Northington’s experiences have colored his political views are provided on his campaign website.
from 1979 to 1983. He eventually helped to establish Metropolitan Veterinary Associates in Valley Forge, PA, and continues his practice as a veterinarian with a practice limited to neurology.
Establishing and running a veterinary practice has helped Dr. Northington to understand the challenges of small business ownership. Dr. Northington believes that economic policy should focus on the betterment of all society, and that programs need to be put in place to provide increased job opportunities for all Americans. Dr. Northington believes that the economy should be redirected toward improved environmental health as well as alternative energy sources and away from the current military based industrial complex.
and several other political blog-sites, including Never In Our Names, Truth and Progress, Be-Think.Org, and EENRblog.com. He writes under the name "possum." Not content to advocate peace without actively doing something about it, he also is an active member of Delaware Pacem in Terris and participates in weekly vigils against the war. His letters to the editor have been published frequently in the Wilmington-based News Journal.
Dr. Northington believes that current U.S. policy is pursuing a course “that will bankrupt our nation, despoil our environment, and bring death and despair to many around the globe. Thousands of American and Iraqi lives have been lost in the pursuit of fossil fuels, instead of developing a sustainable economy based on renewable resources here at home.”
Dr. Northington is committed to ending the Iraq War; guaranteeing a living wage through increased numbers of available jobs; providing a secure pension system, an appropriate and affordable education system, and health care that meets the needs of everyone at every stage of their lives.
Northington, J., Brown, M., Farnbach, G., et al.: Acute Idiopathic Polyneuropathy in the Dog. Journal of the American Veterinary Association, 179:375-379, 1981
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. The Primary election went to his opponent, Karen Hartly-Nagle.
Northington is a life-long Democrat and is seeking that party’s nomination in the September, 2008 primary. The district encompasses the entire state of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. A veterinarian and small businessman by profession, Northington describes himself as “a veteran for peace, education and healthcare.”
Early life
Dr. Jerry Northington was born in 1946 in Mayfield, KY, and lived in the same town until leaving for college in 1964. His father was a mixed practice veterinarian based in Mayfield. The practice encompassed several surrounding counties. His mother, a stay-at-home mom, raised three boys.Dr. Northington received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1975.
Northington is also a lifelong musician. He plays the dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and sings the traditional old-time music of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
.
Military service
Jerry Northington entered military service in March, 1967, and served in Vietnam until March, 1970. After Basic Training at Fort Benning, GAFort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Northington trained at Fort Campbell, KY as a tank driver and was assigned to a tank
M50 Super Sherman
The Sherman M-50 and the Sherman M-51, both known abroad as the Super Sherman, were modified versions of the American M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid-1950s to early 1980s. The M-51 was also referred to as the Isherman...
battalion in the 3rd Armored Division
U.S. 3rd Armored Division
The 3rd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. Nickamed the Third Herd, the division was first activated in 1941, and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War, and participated in the...
stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany. During a 17-month assignment in Germany he was sent to school for additional training as a communications technician and then as communications chief.
Promotions during the time in Germany led to a final grade of sergeant E-5 (Buck sergeant) and an accumulated three stripes on the sleeve. In August 1969 he was sent to Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and assigned to a combat infantry company. Details of how Dr. Northington’s experiences have colored his political views are provided on his campaign website.
Career
After earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, Jerry Northington completed a one-year rotating internship and one year of medical residency at the Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine. After a further two year Residency in Neurology Dr. Northington taught neurology as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine was founded in 1884. It has two campuses; the main campus is located in Philadelphia, and a second campus is located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. At the Philadelphia campus, first, second, and third year veterinary students attend...
from 1979 to 1983. He eventually helped to establish Metropolitan Veterinary Associates in Valley Forge, PA, and continues his practice as a veterinarian with a practice limited to neurology.
Establishing and running a veterinary practice has helped Dr. Northington to understand the challenges of small business ownership. Dr. Northington believes that economic policy should focus on the betterment of all society, and that programs need to be put in place to provide increased job opportunities for all Americans. Dr. Northington believes that the economy should be redirected toward improved environmental health as well as alternative energy sources and away from the current military based industrial complex.
Political views
Jerry Northington is a lifelong Democrat and a regular blogger for the Daily KosDaily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
and several other political blog-sites, including Never In Our Names, Truth and Progress, Be-Think.Org, and EENRblog.com. He writes under the name "possum." Not content to advocate peace without actively doing something about it, he also is an active member of Delaware Pacem in Terris and participates in weekly vigils against the war. His letters to the editor have been published frequently in the Wilmington-based News Journal.
Dr. Northington believes that current U.S. policy is pursuing a course “that will bankrupt our nation, despoil our environment, and bring death and despair to many around the globe. Thousands of American and Iraqi lives have been lost in the pursuit of fossil fuels, instead of developing a sustainable economy based on renewable resources here at home.”
Dr. Northington is committed to ending the Iraq War; guaranteeing a living wage through increased numbers of available jobs; providing a secure pension system, an appropriate and affordable education system, and health care that meets the needs of everyone at every stage of their lives.
Articles published
Northington, JW, Brown, MJ. Acute Canine Idiopathic Polyneuropathy. A Guillain-Barre-like syndrome in dogs. Journal of Neurologic Science 56: 259-273, 1982.Northington, J., Brown, M., Farnbach, G., et al.: Acute Idiopathic Polyneuropathy in the Dog. Journal of the American Veterinary Association, 179:375-379, 1981