George Washington Jones (Texas politician)

George Washington Jones
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th district
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883
Preceded by	Dewitt Clinton Giddings
Succeeded by	James W. Throckmorton
10th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
In office August 9, 1866 – August 8, 1867
Governor	James W. Throckmorton
Preceded by	Fletcher Stockdale
Succeeded by	James W. Flanagan
Bastrop County Attorney
In office 1858–1860
Personal details
Born	(1828-09-05)September 5, 1828 Marion County, Alabama, U.S.
Died	July 11, 1903(1903-07-11) (aged 74) Bastrop, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Fairview Cemetery
Political party	Democratic (1866) Independent (1876–84)[a] Populist (1898)
Spouse	Ledora Ann Mullins ​ (m. 1855)​
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army Robert T. Allen’s Seventeenth Texas Infantry
Rank	Colonel

George Washington Jones (September 5, 1828 – July 11, 1903) was an American politician who served as lieutenant governor of Texas and was a Greenback member of the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

George Washington Jones was born to William Dandridge Claiborne Jones and Rachel Burleson Jones on September 5, 1828, in Marion County, Alabama.[1] He moved with his parents to Tipton County, Tennessee, and then to Bastrop, Texas. Jones studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1851, and commenced practice in Bastrop. He owned slaves.[2]

From 1858 until 1860, he served as Bastrop county attorney.[3]

Military service

Although a supporter of the Union, Jones served in the Confederate States Army, eventually attaining the rank of colonel as commander of the 17th Texas Infantry Regiment.[4]

Public service

He was a delegate to the Texas state constitutional convention in 1866. Jones was elected lieutenant governor in 1866, with James W. Throckmorton as governor. Both Jones and Throckmorton were removed from office in 1867 by General Philip Henry Sheridan for being obstructions to Reconstruction.[5]

In 1878, Jones was elected as United States Congressman for the Texas 5th Congressional District. He was reelected in 1880 and served from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1882.

Personal life and death

On August 1, 1855, he married Ledora Ann Mullins in Bastrop.

Jones died on July 11, 1903. Ledora Jones died on August 31, 1903. They are both interred at Fairview Cemetery in Bastrop.

Notes

1. Jones had support from the Greenback and Republican parties for his bids for Congress and Governor.

References

1. George Washington Jones genealogy. LDS Compact Disc #10 Pin #122475: LDS Family Search.org.
2. "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-10, retrieved 2022-07-08
3. Guttery, Ben (2008). Representing Texas: a Comprehensive History of U.S. and Confederate Senators and Representatives from Texas. BookSurge Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-4196-7884-4.
4. "The 17th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment". J.P. Blessington. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
5. Cutrer, Thomas W: GW Jones from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2 July 2010. Texas State Historical Association

External links

• United States Congress. "George Washington Jones (id: J000223)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Party political offices
Preceded by William H. Hamman	Greenback nominee for Governor of Texas 1880, 1882	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Edmund J. Davis	Republican nominee for Governor of Texas 1882	Succeeded by Anthony Banning Norton
Political offices
Preceded by Fletcher Stockdale	Lieutenant Governor of Texas 1866–1867	Succeeded by James W. Flanagan
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by De Witt C. Giddings	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th congressional district 1879–1883	Succeeded by James W. Throckmorton