Robert McDonald Jones (October 1, 1808 – February 22, 1872) was a Choctaw senator and prominent

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

politician. He was born in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and later relocated to

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

. He was educated at the Choctaw Academy in Blue Springs, Kentucky, where he received a diploma signed by future Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson. During the removal of Choctaws to Indian Territory, he accepted a contract and worked as translator for the United States to the tribe. He also led a removal party that included a large party of livestock. After removal, Jones opened several trading posts along the Red River. In addition to stores, Jones ran several large plantations, growing cotton and several other crops. In 1849, Jones exported 700 bales of cotton, which he shipped to New Orleans in one of his two Steamships ("RM Jones" and "Frances"). Jones built two sprawling mansions on his plantations Lake West and Rose Hill, complete with luxurious furnishings from around the world. According to the 1860 census, Jones owned over 230 slaves, though some have argued that he owned as many as 500. At the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Jones argued vehemently for secession and an alliance between the Choctaws and Confederacy. He represented the Choctaw nation in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

from 1862 to 1864. Following the War, he served as a Choctaw delegate in Washington DC in negotiating the Treaty of 1866 between the Choctaws and the United States; however, he refused to sign the treaty and left before it was complete. He died from

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in 1872 and was buried outside his Rose Hill estate alongside several of his children who died in infancy and his second wife, Susan Colbert Jones. Rose Hill later burned, destroying much of his letters and papers. In 1933, a dedication of the Jones graveyard, including the installation of a brick-wall with the stones from the house, was performed by the

Oklahoma Historical Society The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma dedicated to promotion and preservation of Oklahoma's history and its people by collecting, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge and artifacts of Oklahoma. ...

References

* http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/jones7.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20171228200820/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/J/JO022.html 1808 births 1872 deaths Arkansas Democrats Members of the Confederate States House of Representatives Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma politicians 19th-century Native American politicians Native Americans in the American Civil War Native American slave owners People of Indian Territory {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub