Robert "Bob" Emmett Jones Jr. (June 12, 1912 – June 4, 1997) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from the 8th district of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He was the last to represent that district before it was removed as a result of the

1970 United States census The 1970 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 203,392,031, an increase of 13.4 percent over the 179,323,175 persons enumerated during the 1960 census. This was t ...

. Presently there are seven U.S. House districts in Alabama.

Early life

Robert Emmett Jones Jr. was born on June 12, 1912, in

Scottsboro, Alabama Scottsboro is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Alabama, United States. The city was named for its founder Robert T. Scott. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 15,578. From its incorporation in 1870 until 1890, ...

, in Jackson County. He attended public schools and the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. He graduated from the University of Alabama law department on January 7, 1937, and was admitted to the bar the same year. His early years saw much legal work in Scottsboro. Jones was elected judge of Jackson County Court in July 1940 then reelected in absentia in May 1945 where he served until October 1946. Jones served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as a gunnery officer in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters from December 1943 until February 1946.Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Congressional career

Jones first entered the United States Congress by special election in 1947 when he was elected as a Democrat to the seat vacated by

John Sparkman John Jackson Sparkman (December 20, 1899 – November 16, 1985) was an American jurist and politician from the state of Alabama. A Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1946 and the United ...

who had been elected to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. In 1949, he actively supported the Housing Act of 1949, and played a key role in Section V of the bill which provided money for rural farm housing. He also supported the renewal of the act in 1961. He advocated legislation that led to the Federal Highway Act of 1956, which helped create the modern interstate system. Having been a signatory to the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

''. Jones voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, and

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

. Jones was an advocate for the economic development of north Alabama, and supported military,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, and Tennessee Valley Authority projects in his district. Jones served as Chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee. Jones served 14 consecutive terms until his retirement on January 3, 1977.Baker, Michael E., Robert E. Jones Jr. at As of April 7, 2007 Jones was not a candidate for reelection in 1976. His papers are housed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Achievements

Among his legislative achievements was his principal sponsorship of the

Federal Water Pollution Control Act Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

of 1972. He was also instrumental in passage of the 1965

Appalachian Regional Development Act The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 established the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which was tasked with overseeing economic development programs in the Appalachia region, as well as the construction of the Appalachian Developme ...

Honors and memorials

Bob Jones High School Bob Jones High School is a public high school in Madison, Alabama, United States. It is part of Madison City Schools and is named after Robert E. Jones, Jr., a former United States House of Representatives from Alabama. It is not affiliate ...

Madison, Alabama Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, Alabama, Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County. The city is included in th ...

, is named in his honor, as is the Bob Jones Bridge over the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

in his native Scottsboro.

After Congress

Jones died June 4, 1997, in Florence, Alabama.

References

External links

*
Robert E. "Bob" Jones Collection, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Robert Emmett Jr. 1912 births 1997 deaths People from Scottsboro, Alabama Alabama state court judges United States Navy personnel of World War II Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama United States Navy officers 20th-century Alabama state court judges Signatories of the Southern Manifesto 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives