James Robertson "Bob" Jones (July 26, 1929 – April 16, 1989) was an American

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

political activist who was active in the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

in the 1950s and 1960s. He was

Grand Dragon Ku Klux Klan (KKK) nomenclature has evolved over the order's nearly 160 years of existence. The titles and designations were first laid out in the 1920s ''Kloran'', setting out KKK terms and traditions. Like many KKK terms, this is a portmanteau t ...

of the North Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan from 1963 until 1969, when he was sent to prison for contempt of Congress.

Early life

Jones was born on July 26, 1929, in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

. His father was a railroad worker and had been a member of the

, an American

organization, in the 1920s. His mother was in the Klan's Ladies Auxiliary. After dropping out of high school, Jones enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He was discharged after refusing to salute a black officer. He subsequently worked in various jobs, including as a bricklayer and salesman for

lightning rod A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted ...

Klan leadership

Jones joined the

U.S. Klans The U.S. Klans, officially, the U.S. Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. was the dominant Ku Klux Klan in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The death of its leader in 1960, along with increased factionalism, splits and competition from other gr ...

organization in 1954, but later quit and joined the rival

United Klans of America The United Klans of America Inc. (UKA), based in Alabama, is a Ku Klux Klan organization active in the United States. Led by Robert Shelton, the UKA peaked in membership in the late 1960s and 1970s,Abby Ferber. '' White Man Falling: Race, Gender, ...

. In August 1963, Jones was elected as the Grand Dragon of the North Carolina state chapter of the United Klans of America. By 1965, the chapter claimed to have 12,000 members, the largest membership of any state Klan chapter. On October 20, 1965, Jones was summoned before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

as part of its investigation of Klan activity. He was questioned about Klan activities and alleged financial fraud in his operation of the Klan chapter. He declined to answer or provide Klan records that had been subpoenaed. The

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

voted to cite him for contempt of Congress. He was indicted, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to a year in prison in March 1969. He was released from prison in January 1970. In his absence, the North Carolina Klan had fragmented into multiple groups. Six hundred members remained in his chapter. Jones did not agree with decisions made by the new leadership, and he ceased to be active in the Klan.

Later life

After his release from prison, Jones returned to working as a lightning rod salesman, then later worked as a security guard. Jones died on April 16, 1989.

Early life

Klan leadership

Later life

References

Further reading