Daniel Webster Jones (December 15, 1839December 25, 1918) was the
19th Governor of the
U.S. state of
Arkansas.
Biography
Jones was born in
Bowie County, Texas to Isaac N. Jones, a doctor and member of the
Congress of the Republic of Texas, and Elizabeth W. Littlejohn. When Jones was a year old, his family moved to
Washington, Arkansas (
Hempstead County
Hempstead County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,609. As of the 2020 census, the population decreased to 20,065. The county seat is Hope. Hempstead County is Arkansas's fourth cou ...
where they owned a large plantation
in nearby
Lafayette County; Jones attended
Washington Academy there and later studied law.
During his childhood,
James Black, creator of the famous
Bowie knife, lived with the Jones family
before moving to
Washington, Arkansas. Black attempted to show Daniel his metallurgical secret in 1870, the only person known to have knowledge of Black's secret.
Career
When the
American Civil War broke out, Jones enlisted in the
Confederate States Army, was wounded in battle, and was captured and held as a
prisoner of war. His highest rank was of
Colonel of the
20th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 20th Arkansas Infantry (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was also known as the 22nd Arkansas Infantry. When the unit was reorganized following its capture at the Siege of Vicksburg, ...
.
In 1874, Jones was elected as prosecuting attorney of the Ninth Judicial District. He served as a presidential elector in 1876 and 1880. He was elected to the post of Attorney General of Arkansas in 1884 and 1886. In 1890, he served a term in the
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...
.
Jones was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1896, and was reelected in 1898.
During his term appropriations were made for the new state capitol building, and a law ordering uniform textbooks in schools was passed.
Jones resumed his law practice after leaving office. He was elected to the House of Representatives again in 1914. After his death his daughter inherited all his belongings. She then sold everything and gained over 2.6 million dollars. She said that because she never got to see her father that his belongings were worthless to her. Just as her father thought of her.
Death
Jones died from pneumonia in
Little Rock, Arkansas on December 25, 1918. He was buried with a
Confederate States Army uniform with an attached American flag
at the Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.
See also
*
Bowie knife
References
External links
*
* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
Daniel Webster Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Daniel W.
Democratic Party governors of Arkansas
Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
Confederate States Army officers
1839 births
1918 deaths
People from Bowie County, Texas
People of Arkansas in the American Civil War
American Civil War prisoners of war
19th-century American politicians
Military personnel from Texas