Horatio McLean Jones (August 26, 1826 – June 10, 1906) was a justice of the Territorial

Supreme Court of Nevada The Supreme Court of Nevada is the highest state court of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the head of the Nevada Judiciary. The main constitutional function of the Supreme Court is to review appeals made directly from the decisions of the district ...

from 1861 to 1863.Patricia D. Cafferata,
Nevada's Crooked Territorial Justices
, ''Nevada Lawyer'' (October 2014), p. 9. Born in Howellville, Pennsylvania, Jones received an undergraduate degree from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in 1849, followed by an

LL.B. 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

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in 1853. He entered the practice of law, and in 1856 was hired to serve as the

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for the

Missouri Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constitution to give ...

. In 1861, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed Jones to the newly established Nevada Territory supreme court. Jones "left behind uncompleted work in Missouri" when he took the position, arriving in Nevada and taking the oath of office in September 1861. Jones presided over a case resulting in "an unpopular jury verdict in the one-ledge, many-ledge, case about the Comestock Lode", which led to an effort by the territorial legislature to change the jurisdiction to which Jones was assigned. Jones "said he would not practice the kind of law practiced there", and "walked out of court and would not hear any more cases during the May term of 1863". Because Jones thereafter "failed to hold court", he "developed a reputation for inaction and 'wrong headedness'; as a result he became unpopular". He resigned from the office on August 1, 1863, and was succeeded in the position by Powhatan B. Locke. Jones then moved to

Austin, Nevada Austin is an unincorporated small town in, and former county seat of, Lander County, Nevada, United States. In 2020, the census-designated place of Austin had a population of 167. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an ...

, where he opened a law practice. He made speeches in support of the adoption of the Nevada Constitution in 1864, switching parties during that time and becoming a Democrat. He moved to California after 1866, and to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, in 1868. He served as a Missouri district court judge from 1871 to 1877, and then "practiced law until 1884, when he became too ill to work". Jones married Amenia Strong of

Livingston, New York Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Livingston town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&c ...

, in 1851. They had a son, Horatio McLean Jones Jr., who was born in 1868 and died in 1875. Jones died in

Vermontville, Michigan Vermontville is a village in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 759 at the 2010 census. It is located within Vermontville Township. Vermontville is home to the original maple syrup festival in Michigan, held the last ...

, at the age of 79.

References

Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court 1826 births 1906 deaths Oberlin College alumni Harvard Law School alumni United States Article I federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln {{Nevada-state-judge-stub