John Marvin Jones (February 26, 1882 – March 4, 1976) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and a Judge of the

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

Education and career

Born on February 26, 1882, in Valley View, Cooke County,

, Jones attended the common schools and then received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1902 from John B. Denton College (now defunct), a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

degree in 1905 from

Southwestern University Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwestern ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1907 from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

and was admitted to the bar the same year. He entered private practice in

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

, Texas from 1908 to 1917. He was a member of the Texas Board of Legal Examiners for the Seventh Supreme Judicial District in 1913. He was a member of the Democratic National Congressional Campaign Committee. He was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

private in Company A of the 308th Battalion of the Tank Corps in 1918.

Congressional service

Jones was elected as a Democrat to the

65th United States Congress The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917, to ...

and was reelected to the eleven succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1917, until his resignation on November 20, 1940, to become a judge of the

. He was Chairman of the

United States House Committee on Agriculture The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of ...

for the

72nd United States Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 193 ...

through the

76th United States Congress The 76th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939, ...

Federal judicial service

Jones was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 9, 1940, to a Judge seat on the Court of Claims vacated by Judge

Thomas Sutler Williams Thomas Sutler Williams (February 14, 1872 – April 5, 1940) was a United States representative from Illinois and a judge of the Court of Claims. Education and career Born on February 14, 1872, in Louisville, Clay County, Illinois, Williams ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

on April 10, 1940, and received his commission on November 20, 1940. His service terminated on July 9, 1947, due to his elevation to be Chief Justice of the same court. Jones was on leave from the U.S. Court of Claims from 1943 to 1945, during his service as U.S. War Food Administrator. Jones was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on January 20, 1947, to the Chief Justice seat on the Court of Claims vacated by Chief Justice Richard S. Whaley. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 8, 1947, and received his commission on July 9, 1947. Jones was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the newly created Chief Judge seat on the renamed

on September 1, 1948, pursuant to 62 Stat. 898. Jones was initially appointed as a Judge under Article I, but the court was raised to Article III status by

on July 28, 1953, and Jones thereafter served as an Article III Judge. He was a member of the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

from 1956 to 1964. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on July 14, 1964. His service terminated on March 4, 1976, due to his death in Amarillo. He was interred in Llano Cemetery.

Other service

Jones was on leave from the United States Court of Claims beginning January 15, 1943, to serve as adviser and assistant to the Director of the

Office of Economic Stabilization The Office of Economic Stabilization was established within the United States Office for Emergency Management on October 3, 1942, pursuant to the Stabilization Act of 1942, as a means to control inflation during World War II through regulations on ...

until June 29, 1943, when he was appointed Administrator of the

War Food Administration The War Food Administration was a United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essential civilian needs during World War II. ...

of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

, serving until July 1, 1945, when he resumed his duties on the United States Court of Claims. Jones served as a

Special Master In the law of the United States, a special master is generally a subordinate official appointed by a judge to ensure judicial orders are followed, or in the alternative, to hear evidence on behalf of the judge and make recommendations to the jud ...

for the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

for

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

in 1965.

Honor

In 1980, President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

signed a bill naming Amarillo's federal court building the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building.Raynor, Jessica
"Judge Marvin Jones."
''Amarillo Globe-News.'' Accessed on August 9, 2006.

References

Bibliography and sources

* * * *

External links

* * (Written by a resident of Jones' hometown, Valley View, Texas.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, John Marvin 1882 births 1976 deaths People from Amarillo, Texas Judges of the United States Court of Claims Southwestern University alumni United States Article I federal judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges People from Cooke County, Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas University of Texas School of Law alumni