David W. Jones (March 25, 1815 – November 17, 1879) was a politician from the U.S. state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Born in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, he moved to

Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh. History southeast of ...

at two years old with his family. He went to Madison College in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and studied law. Jones moved to Mineral Point,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

in 1836, where he worked in the land office as clerk and receiver. He then became general paymaster for the Northwest. He then continued to study law and was admitted to the Wisconsin bar. Jones moved to Texas because of his health and then returned to

. He died in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

while returning to Wisconsin.''Reports and Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin'', vol. 9, Wisconsin Necrology (1876-1881), Wisconsin Historical Society: 1909, Biographical Sketch of David W. Jones, p. 448. He served as that state's fifth Secretary of State, serving two terms from January 7, 1856, to January 2, 1860. He was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and served under Democratic

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

William A. Barstow, Democratic acting-governor Arthur MacArthur, Sr., and Republican governors Coles Bashford and Alexander Randall. He resided in

Belmont, Wisconsin Belmont is a village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 989 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It was the original Capital (political), capital of the Wisconsin Territory during the first legislative asse ...

at the time of his election.

References

* * Secretaries of state of Wisconsin Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Territory officials 1815 births 1879 deaths People from Uniontown, Pennsylvania People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Politicians from Iowa County, Wisconsin Welsh emigrants to the United States 19th-century Wisconsin politicians People from Belmont, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers {{Wisconsin-politician-stub