Charles Alvin Jones (August 27, 1887 – May 22, 1966) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Ea ...

and chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...

Education and career

Born on August 27, 1887, in Newport,

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Jones attended the Newport schools,

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...

and

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, then received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Dickinson School of Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 ...

(now

Penn State Dickinson Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 A ...

). He was admitted to the Perry County bar in 1910, before entering private practice 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 ...

, Pennsylvania from 1910 to 1939. He served in the American Ambulance Service with the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

in 1917. He served in

United States Naval Aviation United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

as an ensign from 1918 to 1919. In 1938, Jones ran for

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

as the endorsed Democratic candidate, but lost to Arthur James by nearly 300,000 votes.

Federal judicial service

Jones was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on July 14, 1939, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge John Warren Davis. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on July 18, 1939, and received his commission on July 25, 1939. His service terminated on December 31, 1944, due to his resignation.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court service

Jones was elected to the

in November 1944 and took his seat on January 3, 1945, as the only Democrat on the court. He served as a Justice until 1966, serving as chief justice from 1956 to 1961; he retired in 1961 due to deteriorating vision.Pittsburgh Press, May 22, 1966

Notable case

Jones was noted for his authorship of the Court's majority opinion overturning the conviction of Steve Jones, a Communist, on state sedition charges.

Later career and death

Jones was briefly senior advisor to the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is an American multinational law firm with approximately 2,200 legal professionals in 31 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Mergers with other law firms stimulated global growth and led to ...

. Jones died on May 22, 1966, in Wynnewood, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Family

Jones was survived by his wife, Isabella Arrott; they were married in 1918. He was also survived by a son and daughter. Another son, Charles Alvin Jones Jr. was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

while serving as a Marine aviator in the Pacific.Squadron Historical Summary on the website of Marine Bombing Squadron 611

References

Sources

*
Morgan, Alfred L. "The Significance of Pennsylvania's 1938 Gubernatorial Election", Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 102, No. 2, April, 1978.
Accessed March 27, 2015
Pittsburgh Press, May 22, 1966, Section 3, pg.3. "Justice Jones Dies at 78".

"Historical List of Supreme Court Justices" website of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania.
Retrieved March 28, 2015.
Closed for Business: The Story of Bankers Trust Company During the Great Depression", A Digital History Project of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Retrieved March 28, 2015. * "'Good American Couple' Describes Candidate and Wife", ''Pittsburgh Press'', February 27, 1938, pg. 2.

Retrieved March 28, 2015.
"Charles Alvin Jones", Gettysburg Compiler, October 22, 1938.
Retrieved March 28, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Charles Alvin 1887 births 1966 deaths Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Chief Justices of Pennsylvania United States Navy officers Pennsylvania Democrats Dickinson School of Law alumni People from Newport, Pennsylvania