Joseph Russell Jones (February 17, 1823 – April 11, 1909) was a successful American merchant and politician, a close friend of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and an acquaintance of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Biography

Jones was born in

Conneaut, Ohio Conneaut ( ) is the northeastern most city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, as well as the entire state as a whole. Located in the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area, it is settled along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Cre ...

, and his childhood was modest. His father died when he was two, necessitating the young Jones to curtail his formal education. At age 13, his career began as a store clerk. At 25, Jones had risen to become a partner in the mercantile firm of Benjamin H. Campbell in

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...

. This success gave Jones the financial means to build one of the grandest homes in Galena. His Italianate villa, Belvedere Mansion, was situated next to the Greek revival mansion of

Elihu Washburne Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816 – October 22, 1887) was an Americans, American politician and diplomat. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the Republican Party (United States), ...

, who was a prominent attorney and U.S. congressman (1853–1869). The neighbors developed a rich friendship, which was highly beneficial to Jones’ political career. In 1860, Jones was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

. The same year, Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) moved to Galena after resigning as a captain in the army. In Illinois, Grant struggled financially as an assistant in his father's leather shop. Grant became friends with Jones and Washburne whose recommendations aided his return to the army when the Civil War began. Jones, as an enterprising businessman, saw financial opportunity in the lack of cotton in the North due to wartime restrictions. His friendship with Grant provided him with the necessary passes to bring Southern cotton to the North where it could be sold for significant profit. Their friendship extended beyond the political domain. Grant aided Jones in his cotton speculations, and Jones in return provided Grant with financial assistance. In 1861, Abraham Lincoln became president and appointed Jones as U.S. Marshall for the Northern District of Illinois. Lincoln consulted Jones, Grant's confidant, to learn if Grant was planning to run against him in the next election. After President Lincoln was assassinated, Jones served as a pallbearer for Lincoln's funeral train procession in Chicago. In 1869, Grant was sworn in as president and nominated Jones as

Minister Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. In 1875, Jones asked to leave his post in Belgium. He returned to Illinois where Grant made him Collector of the

Port of Chicago The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities on Lake Michigan within the city of Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Illinois International Port District (formerly known as the Chicago Regional Port District). It is a multimodal fa ...

. However, a year later Grant, urged by Generals John A. Logan and

Stephen A. Hurlbut Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (November 29, 1815 – March 27, 1882) was an attorney and politician, who commanded the U.S. Army of the Gulf in the American Civil War. Afterward, he continued to serve as a politician and also as a diplomat. Although ...

, asked Jones to resign. This request, perceived as a public disgrace Jones felt at the hands of his old friend, severed their friendship permanently. Jones resumed various business ventures with continued financial success. He died at the age of 86 in Chicago, Illinois.

References

;Sources * George R. Jones ''Joseph Russell Jones'', 1964, privately printed by George R. Jones * Jeffrey Norman Lash ''A Politician Turned General: The Civil War Career of Stephen Augustus Hurlbut'', 2003, Kent State University Press * Chicago Historical Society ''Charter, Constitution, By-laws, Membership List, Annual Report'', 1908

Biography

References

Further reading