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Benjamin F. Jones
Member From: 1869 - 1871
- Birth Date: 1834 or 1835 Birth Place:King William County, Virginia
- Death Date: Unknown
- Gender: Male Race: African American
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Additional Info Links:
Bio from Virginia's Martin Luther King Jr. Commission
Encyclopedia Virginia Biography
- Bio: Benjamin F. Jones represented King William County in the House of Delegates from 1869 to 1871. He was born enslaved on the plantation of Anderson Scott, who may have been his father. Upon his death in 1864 Scott emancipated Jones and his family and divided his property among them. Despite a lack of formal education, Jones managed the farm accounts while he was still enslaved. He was elected in 1869 for a two-year term representing King William County in the House of Delegates. After surviving a challenge to his election, he voted to ratify the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution. Unusually active for a first-term delegate, he introduced many bills related to such issues as hunting, public works, local health care, the indigent, orphans, gambling, and emigration. In 1871 he voted with the majority, including most of the other African American delegates, for a bill to pay the public debt left over from before the American Civil War (1861–1865). Jones continued to farm in King William County until about 1911, when he last appeared in the personal property tax records. The date of his death is unknown.
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869-1871 | King William | Counties, Cities and Towns Officers and Offices at the Capitol |
*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.