William Penn Jones Jr. (October 14, 1914 – January 25, 1998) was an American journalist, the editor of the ''Midlothian Mirror'' and author. He was also one of the earliest John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorists.Schlacter, Barry (January 28, 1998)
"Penn Jones, JFK theorist, editor"
( obituary). ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...

'' ort Worth, Texas Sec. B, p. 9.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Lane's Chapel,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

.Jones, Michael (May 2012)
"About Penn Jones."
''baylor.edu''. Archived fro
the original.
/ref> He was one of eight children born to William Penn Jones, a sharecropper, and his wife Gussie Earline Jones (née Browning).Kelin, John (2007). ''Praise from a Future Generation: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy and the First Generation Critics of the Warren Report''. Foreword by H.C. Nash. Wings Press. p. 103. . Three of his siblings died in infancy. The family later bought a farm in

Annona, Texas Annona is a town in Red River County, Texas, Red River County, Texas, United States. The population was 315 at the 2010 census. Geography Annona is located at (33.582024, –94.913489). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has ...

. After graduating from Clarksville High School in 1932, Jones attended Magnolia A&M Junior College for less than two years. In 1935, he transferred to the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. It was there that Jones met an economic professor who he later credited with for influencing him to become a liberal. While at UT, Jones took law classes with classmates

Henry Wade Henry Menasco Wade (November 11, 1914 – March 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as district attorney of Dallas County from 1951 to 1987. He participated in two notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Ru ...

and

John Connally John Bowden Connally Jr. (February 27, 1917June 15, 1993) was an American politician. He served as the 39th governor of Texas and as the 61st United States secretary of the Treasury. He began his career as a Democrat and later became a Republic ...

. Wade later become the District Attorney in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

while Connolly would later become the 39th Governor of Texas. Both men were figures in the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...

. In 1940, Jones dropped out of college later admitting that the coursework was too difficult.Kelin 2007 p.104

Career

Military service

In 1933, Jones joined the

Texas National Guard The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States, and the 9th-largest eco ...

. In October 1940, he was called to active duty to fight in

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 opposing ...

. He served in 36th Infantry Division in the

European theater of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

. He retired from the Guard in 1963 upon which Texas governor

promoted him to the rank of Brevet

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Publishing

In 1946, Jones purchased the ''Midlothian Mirror'' for $4,000; he eventually sold the newspaper in 1974. In 1963, Penn received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism.

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

(November 7, 1966)
"Articles Take Up JFK 'Conspiracy'."
''

Tuscaloosa News The '' Tuscaloosa News '' is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama. In 2012, Halifax Media Group acquired the ''Tuscaloosa News''. Prior to that, the paper's owner was Th ...

'' uscaloosa-Northport, Alabama p. 13. Accessed May 15, 2013.

Hugh Aynesworth Hugh Grant Aynesworth (; born August 2, 1931) is an American journalist, investigative reporter, author, and teacher. Aynesworth has been reported to have witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, the capture and arrest of ...

was among those who nominated Jones for the award.

Assassination research

Jones was known for being an early critic of the

Warren Commission The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson through on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of United States P ...

's report on the

and for alleging that 150 people connected to the assassination may have died under mysterious circumstances. In 1967, he self-published ''Forgive My Grief'', a four-volume work on the assassination of President Kennedy. In the 1980s, Jones co-edited ''The Continuing Inquiry'' newsletter with Gary Mack of the

Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is a museum located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building (formerly the Texas School Book Depository) in downtown Dallas, Texas, overlooking Dealey Plaza at the intersection of E ...

. As Mack would later recall, "Penn was one of the first generation of researchers who felt the government was behind the assassination.""JFK–Penn Jones Collection."
'' Baylor University Digital Collections''. Accessed June 11, 2021. Archived fro
the original.
/ref> In 1981, Jones stated that he believed nine men, flown into Dallas from Oklahoma, each fired one bullet at Kennedy.Carmichael, Dan (October 27, 1981)
"Despite autopsy, Oswald theories live."
''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

''. p. 5. Accessed June 15, 2015. He said the fatal headshot to Kennedy was fired from a

manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, m ...

on Elm Street in Dealey Plaza. Rosenbaum, Ron (November 1983)
"Still on the Case."
''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'' ustin, Texas vol. 11, no. 11.
Google Books
Accessed June 6, 2017. Archived fro
the original.
/ref>

Personal life

Jones was married twice and had two children. He married first wife Louise Angove in July 1941. They had two sons: Penn Jones III (born in 1944) and Michael (born in 1948). They divorced in 1983. That same year, Jones married Elaine Kavanaugh. They remained married until Jones' death.

Death

On January 25, 1998, Jones died of Alzheimer's disease in an

Alvarado, Texas Alvarado ( ) is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas. The population was 3,785 as of the 2010 census, up from 3,288 at the 2000 census. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,739 people, 1,388 househo ...

nursing home at the age of 83. His funeral was held at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in

Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie ( ) is the seat of government of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. Etymology Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible ...

. He is survived by his wife and two sons, a brother, Douglas Jones, a sister, Ruby Nell Peek, and two grandchildren.Simnacher, Joe (January 30, 1998). "Rites Set Saturday for Assassination Researcher William Penn Jones, 83." '' Dallas Morning News''. p. 32A. .

In the media

Jones appeared as himself in Mark Lane's 1976 documentary film, ''Two Men in Dallas''. He introduces the viewer to the subject of the movie, Dallas policeman and assassination witness Roger Craig.

Bibliography

Books * ''Forgive My Grief I''. Midlothian, Tex.: Midlothian Mirror (1966). . ::Preface by John Howard Griffin.
''Forgive My Grief II''.
Midlothian, Tex.: Midlothian Mirror (1967). . ::"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy." * ''Forgive My Grief III''. Midlothian, Tex.: Midlothian Mirror (1969). . ** Reprinted with addendum (January 1976). ::"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy." * ''Forgive My Grief IV''. Midlothian, Tex.: Penn Jones, Jr. (1974). . ::"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy." Book contributions * "Editorials from the Midlothian Mirror." In: Welsh, David (editor). ''In the Shadow of Dallas: A Primer on the Assassination of President Kennedy''. San Francisco: Ramparts (1967): 29–49. Periodicals * ''Midlothian Mirror'' (1974–1963). ::Weekly newspaper serving

Midlothian, Texas Midlothian is a city in northwest Ellis County, Texas, United States. The city is southwest of Dallas. It is the hub for the cement industry in North Texas, as it is the home to three separate cement production facilities, as well as a steel mill ...

.
''The Continuing Inquiry''
(1976–1984). ::Monthly newsletter exploring the

assassinations Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

, and

Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Book reviews
Review of ''Aphrodite: Desperate Mission''
by

Jack Olsen Jack Olsen (June 7, 1925 – July 16, 2002) was an American journalist and author known for his crime reporting. Olsen was senior editor-in-chief for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' in 1954. He was Midwest bureau chief for ''Time'' and a senior ...

. ''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 2, no. 11 (June 22, 1978): 1–5.
Review of ''The Advance Man: An Off-beat Look at What Really Happens in Political Campaigns''
by Jerry Bruno and

Jeff Greenfield Jeffrey Greenfield (born June 10, 1943) is an American television journalist and author. Early life He was born in New York City, to Benjamin and Helen Greenfield. He grew up in Manhattan and graduated in 1960 from the Bronx High School of Sci ...

. ''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 2, no. 11 (June 22, 1978): 8, 13. Articles
"The Purloined Letter (With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 3 (October 22, 1976): 1–2.
"Little Philosophy."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 3 (October 22, 1976): 13–15.
"If They're Serious."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 11.
"For Starters."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 11.
"A Little Philosophy (Continued from October issue)."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 13–14.
"Sorensen, Director of Intelligence ???"
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 6 (January 22, 1977): 2–4.
"November 22, 1963: Death of a Secret Service Agent?"
with Gary Shaw. ''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 6 (January 22, 1977): 4–6.
"The 'New' Oswald Letter."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 7 (February 22, 1977): 9–10.
"Instructing a Witness."
''Continuing Inquiry'', vol. 1, no. 7 (February 22, 1977): 13–14. * "Disappearing Witnesses." ''The Rebel'' (magazine)
vol. 1, no. 1 (November 22, 1983):
36–43.

References

External links

* * FBI files at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

William Penn Jones, Jr.
at

Spartacus Educational Spartacus Educational is a free online encyclopedia with essays and other educational material on a wide variety of historical subjects principally British history from 1700 and the history of the United States. Based in the United Kingdom, Spart ...

Penn Jones Collection
at th
W. R. Poage Legislative Library
via

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

* Correspondence at the Harold Weisberg Collection via

* Selected articles from the ''Midlothian Review'' at the Harold Weisberg Collection via

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Penn Jr. 1914 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American writers American conspiracy theorists American male journalists United States Army personnel of World War II American newspaper editors American non-fiction writers Neurological disease deaths in Texas Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Editors of Texas newspapers John F. Kennedy conspiracy theorists People from Bosque County, Texas People from Red River County, Texas Researchers of the assassination of John F. Kennedy Texas National Guard personnel University of Texas at Austin alumni United States Army generals