Frank Jones (September 15, 1832 – October 2, 1902) was a United States representative from New Hampshire representing the 1st Congressional District from 1875 to 1879. He was the mayor of

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

, in 1868 and 1869.

Biography

Frank Jones was born in

Barrington, New Hampshire Barrington is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 9,326 at the 2020 census, up from 8,576 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. ...

, on September 15, 1832. He attended the public schools in Barrington. He moved to Portsmouth in 1849 and became a successful merchant and brewer. He owned businesses in Portsmouth and

South Boston, Massachusetts South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

. Jones, the mayor of Portsmouth in 1868 and 1869, elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879) was not a candidate for renomination in 1878. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of New Hampshire in 1880, losing to Republican Charles Henry Bell by only a few thousand votes, 44,432 to 40,813. Frank Jones Mansion

Later, Jones became involved with the Republican Party. He was disgusted over William Jennings Bryan's stand on

Free Silver Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...

. He became interested in railroads and hotels. Jones rebuilt the stately

Rockingham Hotel The Rockingham Hotel is a historic former hotel and contemporary condominium at 401 State Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. Built in 1885, it is a prominent early example of Colonial Revival architecture, built in part in hom ...

in Portsmouth and enlarged the Hotel Wentworth (now

Wentworth-by-the-Sea The Wentworth is a historic grand resort hotel in New Castle, New Hampshire, United States. It is managed by Ocean Properties as "Wentworth by the Sea, A Marriott Hotel & Spa". It is one of a handful of the state's surviving Gilded Age grand hote ...

) in New Castle. Also in Portsmouth, Jones built a mansion in the Second Empire style, with gardens and a horse track, completed in 1876. He was a presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1900. He died in

, on October 2, 1902, and was buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery. Frank Jones brewery & malt houses, Portsmouth, N

The Frank Jones Brewery was one of the largest producers of ale in the United States of America. In 1896, Jones' Portsmouth brewery produced about 250,000 barrels a year. In 1889, Jones put his company's stock on the market in London. The new company was incorporated on May 17, 1889. In 1950, the Frank Jones Brewery closed after 90 years.

Notes

References

* * 1832 births 1902 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Mayors of Portsmouth, New Hampshire American hoteliers Politicians from Portsmouth, New Hampshire People from Barrington, New Hampshire 19th-century American politicians Burials in New Hampshire 19th-century American businesspeople {{NewHampshire-politician-stub