John Winston Jones

John Winston Jones (November 22, 1791 – January 29, 1848) was an American politician and lawyer. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1845. He served as Speaker of the House in both the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1845) and the Virginia House of Delegates (1847).

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 the House 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 from Virginia
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 the House 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 the Virginia House of Delegates from Chesterfield County
In office December 7, 1846 – December 17, 1847
Preceded by	William Winfree
Succeeded by	Alexander Jones
Personal details
Born	November 22, 1791 Amelia County, Virginia
Died	January 29, 1848 (aged 56) Petersburg, Virginia
Political 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

Early life and education

Born November 22, 1791, in Amelia County, Virginia to the former Mary Anne Winston, and her husband, Alexander Jones.^[1] A paternal ancestor was Peter Jones, the founder of Petersburg. His name honors Col. John Jones (Peter Jones' son, 1735-1793), who had served in the House of Burgesses and fought in the American Revolutionary War for then-vast Brunswick County, which he also represented in the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788.^[2] This John W. Jones received an education appropriate for his class, then traveled to Williamsburg about 1795 for further studies at the College of William & Mary.He received a law degree from the same institution in 1813.

Early legal career

After admission to the Virginia bar, Jones practiced law in Chesterfield County before being appointed Commonwealth Attorney (prosecutor) for Virginia's 5th Judicial Circuit in 1818. He joined Benjamin W. Leigh, Samuel Taylor and William B. Giles as a delegate to the 1829–1830 state constitutional convention, all four men representing a Southside district consisting of Amelia, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Nottoway and Powhatan Counties and the city of Petersburg.^[3]

Congressman

Further information: Presidency of Andrew Jackson, Presidency of Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison § Presidency (1841), Presidency of John Tyler, 19th United States Congress, 20th United States Congress, 21st United States Congress, 22nd United States Congress, and 23rd United States Congress

Jones was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1835 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 president Millard Fillmore, and House Democratic Leader, succeeding future president James K. Polk.

Fellow congressman elected Jones as Speaker of the House during the 28th Congress, which convened in 1843 and adjourned in 1845.

Jones declined nomination for a sixth term in Congress and returned to Virginia in 1845.

Career after Congress

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 as Speaker. 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]

Private life

Jones married Harriet Boisseau in 1815 and together they had three children: Mary Winston, James Boisseau and Alexander. His son-in-law was George 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 of Petersburg, Virginia.

Electoral history

• 1835; Jones was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 68.09% of the vote, defeating Whig William Segar Archer.
• 1837; Jones was re-elected unopposed.
• 1839; Jones was re-elected with 58.51% of the vote, defeating a Whig identified only as Taylor.
• 1841; Jones was re-elected with 69.47% of the vote, defeating Independents Junius E. Leigh and Thomas Miller.
• 1843; Jones was re-elected unopposed.