John Winston Jones | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Jones (c. 1835) | |
| 16th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office December 4, 1843 – March 4, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | John White |
| Succeeded by | John W. Davis |
| Leader of theHouse Democratic Caucus | |
| In office December 4, 1843 – March 4, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | James K. Polk |
| Succeeded by | Howell Cobb |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia | |
| In office March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | William S. Archer (3rd) Walter Coles (6th) |
| Succeeded by | Walter Coles (3rd) James Seddon (6th) |
| Constituency | 3rd district (1835–43) 6th district (1843–45) |
| Chairman of theHouse Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 | |
| Preceded by | Churchill C. Cambreleng |
| Succeeded by | Millard Fillmore |
| 22nd Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
| In office January 4, 1847 – December 6, 1847 | |
| Governor | William Smith |
| Preceded by | William Goode |
| Succeeded by | James F. Strother |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromChesterfield County | |
| In office December 7, 1846 – December 17, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | William Winfree |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 22, 1791 |
| Died | January 29, 1848 (aged 56) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Harriet Boisseau |
| Children | Mary Winston Jones James Boisseau Jones Alexander Jones |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Profession | Lawyer |
John Winston Jones (November 22, 1791 – January 29, 1848) was anAmerican politician andlawyer. He served five terms in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1845. He served asSpeaker of the House in both the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1845) and theVirginia House of Delegates (1847).
Born November 22, 1791, inAmelia County, Virginia to the former Mary Anne Winston, and her husband, Alexander Jones.[1] A paternal ancestor was Peter Jones, the founder ofPetersburg. His name honors Col. John Jones (Peter Jones' son, 1735-1793), who had served in theHouse of Burgesses for then-vastBrunswick County, supported the American Revolutionary War, then served in the Virginia Senate (including a term as its Speaker) as well as in theVirginia Ratifying Convention of 1788.[2] This John W. Jones received an education appropriate for his class, then traveled toWilliamsburg about 1795 for further studies at theCollege of William & Mary. He received a law degree from the same institution in 1813.
After admission to the Virginia bar, Jones practiced law inChesterfield County before being appointed Commonwealth Attorney (prosecutor) for Virginia's 5th Judicial Circuit in 1818. He joinedBenjamin W. Leigh, Samuel Taylor andWilliam B. Giles as a delegate to the1829–1830 state constitutional convention, all four men representing aSouthside district consisting of Amelia, Chesterfield,Cumberland,Nottoway andPowhatan Counties and the city ofPetersburg.[3]
Jones was elected as aDemocrat to theUnited States House of Representatives in1835 and served five terms. As he rose through the ranks of the House, he became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, replacing future presidentMillard Fillmore, and House Democratic Leader, succeeding future presidentJames K. Polk.
Fellow congressmen elected Jones asSpeaker of the House during the28th Congress, which convened in 1843 and adjourned in 1845.
Jones declined nomination for a sixth term in Congress and returned to Virginia in 1845.
Upon his retirement from Congress, Jones returned to his legal practice and plantation in Virginia. Among his more prominent cases, he served as lead counsel for Thomas Ritchie Jr., who in 1846 faced trial for his involvement in the infamous duel in which abolitionist John Hampden Pleasants was fatally wounded. Ritchie won acquittal on the grounds of self-defense.[4] In the 1830 federal census, John W. Jones owned slaves in Chesterfield County.[5]
That same year, Jones was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and in 1847 was chosen asSpeaker. He was elected to a second term in 1847, but did not attend the session due to illness. He resigned his seat on December 17. The vacant House seat was later filled by his son, Alexander.[4]
Jones married Harriet Boisseau in 1815 and together they had three children: Mary Winston, James Boisseau and Alexander. His son-in-law wasGeorge W.B. Towns, who was the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851.[4]
Jones died on January 29, 1848. He is buried in the family cemetery at his Dellwood Plantation northwest ofPetersburg, Virginia.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the United States House of Representatives 1843–1845 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates 1847 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Churchill C. Cambreleng New York | Chairman ofHouse Ways and Means Committee 1839–1841 | Succeeded by Millard Fillmore New York |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 3rd congressional district 1835–1843 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Walter Coles | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 6th congressional district 1843–1845 | Succeeded by |
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