Benjamin Franklin Jones (August 8, 1824 – May 19, 1903) was a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Originally involved in the river barge industry, he purchased a share in American Iron Works in 1851, along with

Bernard Lauth Bernard Lauth (August 23, 1820 in Alsace, France – June 25, 1894) he founded the American Iron Works in 1850, and formed a partnership with B.F. Jones in 1851. In 1854, Lauth retired from the steel firm, selling his partnership to James H. Lau ...

. He later joined with

James H. Laughlin James Laughlin (March 1, 1806 – December 18, 1882) was an Irish-American banker and capitalist, a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was born near Portaferry in County Down, Ireland, the son of James Laughl ...

to form

Jones and Laughlin Steel Company The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard Lauth and Benjamin Franklin Jones, a few miles (c 4 km) south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in ...

, a steel mill heavily dependent on river transportation. The B.F. Jones Memorial Library in Aliquippa Pennsylvania, the site of J&L Steel's Aliquippa Works, was built in his honor with funds donated by his daughter.

Biography

He was born on August 8, 1824 in

Claysville, Pennsylvania Claysville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area since 1950. The population was 728 at the 2020 census. Claysville Elementary School, part of the McGuffey School District is ...

. He married Mary McMasters and had a son, Benjamin Franklin Jones, Jr. From 1884 to 1888 he was chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

. He died on May 19, 1903 in

Allegheny City, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...

Legacy

He was executor of Laughlin's estate.

Politics

As chairman of the

1884 to 1888, he was responsible for the

James G. Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...

presidential campaign.

References

1824 births 1903 deaths American industrialists American steel industry businesspeople Burials at Allegheny Cemetery Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Republican National Committee chairs 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1820s-stub

Biography

Legacy

Politics

See also

References