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Just Politics

8/29/2021

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The Just-Reid family is celebrating the Sesquicentennial Plus One of Nels and Emma Just settling in the Blackfoot River Valley near Blackfoot. We had planned to celebrate last year, but that got put on hold along with so much else when COVID hit.
 
In honor of Sesquicentennial Plus One, I’m devoting the Speaking of Idaho blog to my family’s history during August.


Nels Just was elected in 1899 as one of Bingham County’s early commissioners. That was his only elected office, but he was involved in politics most of his life, attending several state Democratic conventions, and spending considerable time in Boise during legislative sessions.
 
Nels’ eldest son, James Just, was elected to the Idaho State Senate in 1934, serving through 1938. John Corlett, who wrote about politics for the Idaho Statesman for decades once told me that my grandfather, James Just, had a habit of putting his thumbs through his suspenders while speaking from the podium, and rocking back and forth on his feet. For this habit he was dubbed “Jumpin’ Jimmy Just” by reporters.
 
Both Nels and James Just were friends with Fred T. Dubois, who was a U.S. Senator from Idaho for many years. James also palled around a bit with Glenn Taylor, who served one term in the Senate from Idaho.
 
Rinda Just, my spouse served as a Boise city planning and zoning commissioner for ten years. I served for a time on that commission as well, and I’m currently running for the District 15 state senate seat. If elected I vow not to acquire a nickname for my antics on the floor of the senate. One Jumpin’ Jimmy is enough, though my first name is James. I go by my middle name.
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Idaho State Senator James Just.
Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
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    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. His latest book on Idaho history is Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for the Idaho Press.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.
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    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

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