Benjamin F. Jonas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromLouisiana | |
| In office March 4, 1879 – March 4, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | James B. Eustis |
| Succeeded by | James B. Eustis |
| Member of theLouisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1865-1868 1876-1879 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Franklin Jonas (1834-07-19)July 19, 1834 Williamsport, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 1911(1911-12-21) (aged 77) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1862-1865 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Benjamin Franklin Jonas (July 19, 1834 – December 21, 1911) was an American politician who was aDemocraticU.S. Senator fromLouisiana and an officer in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War. He was the thirdJew to serve in the Senate. Jonas was also the last Jewish Senator from theDeep South untilJon Ossoff won his seatin Georgia in 2021.
He was born inWilliamsport,Grant County, Kentucky toAbraham Jonas (1801–1864), a merchant and lawyer, and Louisa Block. As a boy, he moved with his parents toQuincy, Illinois, where his father became aRepublicanstate legislator andpostmaster, and was acquainted withAbraham Lincoln. (In 1864, Lincoln appointed the widowed Mrs. Jonas postmaster in succession to her late husband.)
Benjamin attended the public schools in Quincy. In 1853, he moved toNew Orleans, Louisiana; his maternal uncle, Abraham Block, was well known there, being an important figure in the nearbyRed River settlements. He studied law at the University of Louisiana (nowTulane University). In 1855, he graduated, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in New Orleans.
Despite his family's strong Republican connections, Benjamin Jonas cast his lot with the South in the Civil War. In 1862 he enlisted in theConfederate States Army. He was a member of Fenner's Battery, and Adjutant of a Battalion of Artillery inHood's Corps in the Army of Tennessee.[1] He served till the end of the war, rising to the rank ofmajor.
After the war, he returned to New Orleans and became active in state politics as a Democrat. In 1865, he was elected to thestate House of Representatives, and served until 1868.
In 1872, he was elected to theState Senate, but declined to take the seat. In 1875, he was appointed city attorney of New Orleans, and served until 1879. He was again elected state Representative in 1876.
In 1879, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and served from March 4, 1879 to March 4, 1885. In the 46th Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. He sought another term in 1884, but was not re-elected.
In 1885, he was appointed Collector of the port of New Orleans, serving until 1889. He then resumed the practice of law.
Jonas died in New Orleans on December 21, 1911, and was buried inDispersed of Judah Cemetery (listed inHistoric Cemeteries of New Orleans).
He was the second Jewish U.S. Senator from Louisiana, the first having beenJudah P. Benjamin (1853–1861), and the third Jewish Senator overall, the others being Benjamin andDavid Levy Yulee ofFlorida (1845–1851, 1855–1861). However, both Yulee and Benjamin marriedChristian wives, and did not openly practice Judaism afterward.[2] Jonas was the first practicing Jew in the Senate. Jonas was also the firstAshkenazi Jew in the Senate; while the two previous Jewish senators were ofSephardic descent, as were the majority of U.S. Jews at the time. He was a member ofThe Boston Club of New Orleans.[3]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Louisiana 1879–1885 Served alongside:William P. Kellogg,Randall L. Gibson | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
