John Jay Good (July 12, 1827 – September 17, 1882) was a

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judge, soldier, and mayor of the city of

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.. Retrieved on August 6, 2009.

Biography

John Jay Good was born July 12, 1827, in Monroe County, Mississippi to George Good. He married Susan Anna Floyd, daughter of Nathaniel Crosby Floyd and Susan Umpstead Hart, on July 25, 1854, in Dallas, Texas. They had eight children: John Jay Good Jr., George, Ben McCullough, Bettie H., Nathaniel Stanley, Frances Sue, Cerelle, and Willie Good. He attended

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

, and studied law in Columbus, Mississippi. He was admitted to the bar in 1849 and practice law in Pikesville, Marion County, Alabama. He left Alabama with the idea to engage in the Mexican embargo war, but finding that the war was ill-advised, he returned to Dallas through which he had passed on the way to Austin. He arrived in Dallas November 25, 1851. There he settled and became involved with the interests of the community, including the plans of John H. Reagan to support navigation of the Trinity River."Dallas City Directory, 1878" Publisher: Dallas (Tex.) Directories. At the beginning of the Civil War, he formed a local militia group and later joined Capt. Douglas Company, Texas Artillery. After the war, he was elected a judge for the 16th Judicial District, but was removed by Phil Sheridan. He became mayor of Dallas in 1880."Death of Judge Good."''Dallas Daily Herald'' September 19, 1882, pg 4 He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Knights Templar, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The Dallas Fire Department was organized in 1871 which elected officers each year. In 1878, John J. Good was president of the Fire Department. J. J. Good died September 17, 1882, in El Paso, Texas. He had been traveling to better climates in hopes being restored to better health when he died. He was interred at the Odd Fellows Cemetery (now Pioneer Park).Dallas Heritage Village, et al. Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 19, Number 02, Fall, 2007, Michael V. Hazel, editor, Journal/Magazine/Newsletter, 2007; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35087 : accessed December 27, 2010), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu ; crediting Dallas Historical Society, Dallas, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Good, John Jay 1827 births 1882 deaths Mayors of Dallas American judges Confederate States Army officers Cumberland University alumni 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges