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Joseph R. Jones
Member From: 1885 - 1887
- Birth Date: Unknown Birth Place:
- Death Date: Unknown
- Gender: Male Race: African American
- Spouse: Mary Baskervill
- Children:
- Religion:
- Education:
- Military Service:
- Occupation/Profession: Storekeeper, postmaster, United States Capitol Police Officer
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Additional Info Links:
Bio from Virginia's Martin Luther King Jr. Commission
Bio from Encyclopedia Virginia
- Bio: James Richard Jones, who is difficult to track in the historical record because of confusion in the documentary record about his name, was a member of the Senate of Virginia and of the House of Delegates. In November 1876 he won election to the vacant seat in the Senate of Virginia from the counties of Mecklenburg and Charlotte to complete the short time remaining in the term to which the late Albert P. Lathrop had been reelected in 1873. He ran for election to the full four-year term in 1877 but lost to a white Conservative. Jones held the presidential appointment as postmaster in the town of Boydton 1880 to 1885. He ran as a Readjuster for his old Senate seat in the autumn of 1881 and was elected. Jones successfully sponsored a bill to repair roads in Charlotte and several other counties. He also introduced two bills to abolish the whipping post and voted for a House bill that became law and terminated that painful and humiliating legacy of slavery. For reasons that are not evident, Jones resigned from his Senate seat half-way through his term. In November 1885 Jones defeated Democrat Charles L. Finch to win a two-year term in the House of Delegates to represent Mecklenburg County. He did not win the Republican nomination in 1887, and in December 1888, Jones joined the Capitol Police force in Washington, D.C. The date and place of his death are not recorded.
- Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices: Senate of Virginia from 1876 to 1877 and from 1881 to 1883 representing Charlotte and Mecklenburg Counties
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885-1887 | Mecklenberg | Republican | House Expenses Labor and Poor Manufactures and Mechanic Arts |
*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.