Political party Democratic Website Campaign website | Children 2 Party Democratic Party | |
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Full Name James Freeman Barksdale Born March 20, 1953 (age 63)
Macon, Georgia, U.S. ( 1953-03-20 ) Alma mater College of William and Mary
(BS)
University of Pennsylvania
(MBA) Education University of Pennsylvania, College of William & Mary Similar Johnny Isakson, James L Barksdale, Thomas Jefferson Profiles | ||
James Freeman "Jim" Barksdale (born March 20, 1953) is an American executive who serves as the President and Chief Investment Officer at Equity Investment Corporation, which he founded in 1986. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2016 U.S. Senate election in Georgia, which he lost to Johnny Isakson.
Contents
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal life and philanthropy
- 2016 US Senate campaign
- Climate change
- References
Early life and education
Jim Barksdale was born in Macon, Georgia, and attended church and high school in Atlanta. He received a B.S. degree in Psychology from the College of William and Mary in 1975 before going on to receive his MBA from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania in 1977.
Career
Barksdale’s career began in the finance department at IC Industries where he was engaged in investments, acquisition analysis, and planning. He then went on to work at Merrill Lynch & Co., becoming involved in risk assessment and asset allocation strategies. He then served as a Portfolio Manager at Management Asset Corporation.
After leaving Management Asset Corporation, Barksdale founded the investment advisory firm Equity Investment Corporation in 1986. The firm emphasizes long-term investment success by avoiding significant losses, and offers socially responsible investment funds for investors with social mandates. As of late 2015, the firm managed or advised $5.2 billion for clients.
Personal life and philanthropy
In 1986, Barksdale returned to his home town of Atlanta, where he started a family and raised two children.
He has served on the Board of Councilors at the Carter Center since 2008.
Barksdale was the lead philanthropist behind a successful proposal to bring renowned sculptor Robert Berks' iconic 3,000-lb. bronze monument of Albert Einstein to the Georgia Tech campus. Barksdale was particularly passionate about Einstein’s legacy as a human rights advocate. A star chart at Einstein’s feet depicts the Atlanta night sky on the day of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The sculpture is one of three originals created by Robert Berks, the other two residing in Washington, DC and Israel. The project was successfully completed in October 2015.
2016 US Senate campaign
With the support of Democratic Party leaders, including current Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, DuBose Porter, Jim Barksdale entered the race against incumbent Republican Senator Johnny Isakson in March 2016. On May 24, 2016, Barksdale defeated his two primary challengers for the Democratic nomination, getting almost 54% of the vote. By winning more than 50 percent of the vote, Barksdale avoided a runoff.
Climate change
On his Campaign’s Issues page, Jim Barksdale states that "climate change is a reality and if left unchecked, rising ocean tides will harm Georgia’s Atlantic coast and threaten our state’s robust tourism and shipping industries”.