Robert Taylor Jones on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Robert Taylor Jones (February 8, 1884 – June 11, 1958) was an American businessman and politician who served as the sixth governor of the
/ref> Jones was educated in the Tennessee public schools, He began his career as a self-taught practical engineer, while still in his teens. He was involved in the building of a railroad through eastern Tennessee. The experience which he obtained was to his benefit when he went into business for himself as a small contractor. He participated in the construction of the
Robert Taylor Jones (February 8, 1884 – June 11, 1958) was an American businessman and politician who served as the sixth governor of the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
and served from 1939 to 1941.
Early years
He was born in Rutledge, Tennessee, to Samuel Joseph and Sara Elizabeth (Legg) Jones. His father was anAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
veteran from the Union side who was active in politics and in the affairs of his community.Museum in Superior/ref> Jones was educated in the Tennessee public schools, He began his career as a self-taught practical engineer, while still in his teens. He was involved in the building of a railroad through eastern Tennessee. The experience which he obtained was to his benefit when he went into business for himself as a small contractor. He participated in the construction of the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
for one year as a civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
.
Businessman
When Jones returned to the United States, he went to live in Los Angeles. Later he became involved in the construction of a railroad from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. In 1909, he came to the territory of Arizona and worked with the Globe and Gila Valley railroad. That year Jones met Elon Armstrong of Winkelman, Arizona, daughter of W. T. Armstrong, a pioneer Arizona cattleman and a one-time sheriff of Gila County. They were married in 1911 and purchased a house at 300 Main Street, in the town ofSuperior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
* Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lak ...
where they settled down. The couple had two children: Kathryn and Albert Claude.
Also in 1911, he founded the “Jones Drug Company”, a pharmacy which eventually became a chain of pharmacies with branches in Phoenix, Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, Mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...
, and Tucson
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
.
Political career
On January 2, 1939, Jones became the 6th Governor of Arizona. He served as governor for one year until January 6, 1941, as a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his becoming governor, Jones served as a State Senator fromMaricopa County
Maricopa County () is a county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the fourth-most populous county in the United States and ...
in the 13th Arizona State Legislature during 1937–1938. He also served two terms in the State Senate as the lone senator from Pinal County
Pinal County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was est ...
in the 10th and 11th Arizona State Legislature
The 11th Arizona State Legislature, consisting of the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives, was constituted from January 1, 1933, to December 31, 1934, during Benjamin Baker Moeur's first term as Governor of Arizona
...
s.
Later years
Jones returned to his drug store business, however in 1953, he left the drug store business and started the Jones Western Wear store in Phoenix at 101 E. Washington, where his Phoenix pharmacy used to be. He also owned a cattle ranch near Chandler. He died on June 11, 1958, inPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
and is buried in Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix.
His house in Superior was converted into the Bob Jones Museum in March 1994. The displays in the museum are focused on local artifacts and include exhibits of photographs, mining equipment and geological samples.
References
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Robert Taylor Democratic Party governors of Arizona 1884 births 1958 deaths People from Rutledge, Tennessee American civil engineers 20th-century Arizona politicians