Griffith Jones (died 1712) was the fourth

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...

, serving from October 3, 1704, to October 2, 1705. Jones came to Philadelphia in 1682, where he became an early citizen and prominent Quaker merchant. He was among the 12 resident members of the Society of Free Traders, who bought land primarily from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

. He owned the Blue Anchor tavern and many other properties in the city. In 1693, he was the second highest taxpayer in the city.Toogood, Anna Coxe
Historic Resource Study - Independence Mall, The 18th Century Development, Block One, Chestnut to Market, Fifth to Sixth Streets
(August 2001) He was appointed to the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...

in 1690. Jones served in the Assembly and was named Alderman in the city charter in 1701. He had a country home built around 1687 near Wingohocking Creek east of Germantown. He originally owned 500 acres in Bristol Township. Church Street in Philadelphia east of Second Street was originally named Jones Alley after him. Jones was first elected Mayor in 1703, but refused to serve citing his country residence outside the city limits. Nevertheless, he was assessed a fine of twenty pounds. Upon being elected again in October 1704, he accepted the office but asked that the fine be forgiven, which request was granted.Anderson's Appeal (1906 court decision)
/ref> James Logan, although not a fan of Jones, said Jones was "the best Magistrate Philadelphia ever had in my time, of any kind." In about 1706, Jones married Elizabeth Robinson, widow of Patrick Robinson (died 1701). After the marriage, he moved into her home on Market Street and bought out stepson Peter Robinson's rights to that house and some other properties. Jones' only son was publicly disowned by the Philadelphia Quaker Meeting, which caused Jones to leave the group Jones died in 1712 "of a weakness owing chiefly to old age".Memorial History of the City of Philadelphia, Vol. 1
pp. 184-85 (1895)The Griffith Jones House
The Library Company of Philadelphia, Retrieved 7 March 2022

References

External links

The Griffith Jones House
1712 deaths 18th-century mayors of places in Pennsylvania Mayors of Philadelphia People from colonial Pennsylvania American Quakers Year of birth missing Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-mayor-stub