Robert Franklin Jones (June 25, 1907 – June 22, 1968) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for four terms from 1939 to 1947.

Biography

Robert F. Jones was born in Cairo, Ohio. He graduated from the Lima Central High School in

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75, appr ...

, in 1924, and in 1929 from

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private college in Ada, Ohio, United States. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU offers over 60 programs across five undergraduate and graduate colleges and is affiliated with the Unit ...

Ada, Ohio Ada ( ) is a village in Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 5,334. It is the home of Ohio Northern University. History Followi ...

, with a law degree. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Lima. He served as prosecuting attorney of

Allen County, Ohio Allen County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its county seat and largest city is Lima. The county was created in 1820 and organized in 1831. The county is named in honor of Colonel John Allen, who was k ...

, from 1935 to 1939. Jones was elected in 1938 as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth and to the four succeeding Congresses. Jones was against isolationism and campaigned in favor of helping Britain throughout 1940. In between July 25, 1940, when France surrendered, and June 22, 1941, when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, Britain was effectively alone. During this time Jones, as well as his fellow Ohio congressmen Charles H. Elston and William E. Hess campaigned heavily in favor of giving Britain any aid we could. Jones explicitly advocated entering the war on the British side throughout this time period. He served until his resignation on September 2, 1947. His appointment to the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and he served as FCC commissioner from September 5, 1947, until his resignation on September 19, 1952. His appointment provoked controversy after it was revealed that he'd become a member of the Black Legion in the 1930s in exchange for being elected the local county prosecutor.

Death

He resumed the practice of law in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and died in

Olney, Maryland Olney is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located in the north central part of the county, north of Washington, D.C. Olney was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when g ...

, on June 22, 1968. Interment in Lima Memorial Park Cemetery in Lima, Ohio.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1907 births 1968 deaths American fascists American nationalists American white supremacists Ohio lawyers People from Allen County, Ohio Claude W. Pettit College of Law alumni County district attorneys in Ohio Members of the Federal Communications Commission Truman administration personnel Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Ohio-Representative-stub