Spencer Cone Jones (July 3, 1836 – April 1, 1915), was the President of the
Maryland State Senate, Mayor of
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
and
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
State
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
.
Early life
Spencer Cone Jones was born in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
on July 3, 1836, the son of Reverend Joseph H. Jones (1798–1871), a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister, and Elizabeth (Clagett) Jones, of
Montgomery County. He attended Rockville Academy,
Frederick County public schools and Frederick College. After entering the legal profession, Jones practiced with William J. Ross of Frederick, and was admitted to the Frederick County bar in 1860.
Civil War
Jones enlisted in Company D of the First Maryland Cavalry of the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
at the beginning of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. In May 1862, he was thrown in jail for eight months. Jones was first arrested as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
and was thrown in the
Baltimore City Jail
Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC, formerly known as the Baltimore City Jail) is a Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services state prison for men and women. It is located on 401 East Eager Street in downtown Baltimore, Mar ...
. He was subsequently transferred between
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...
and
Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as ...
for interrogation. He was listed both as a
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
and as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
. Jones was released from
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...
on December 16, 1863. In February 1864, Jones was indicted in Frederick County Circuit Court for levying war and was disbarred by the
Frederick County Court in 1865. The charges were dropped in March 1866. After the war, Jones taught school near
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas. The population was 45,941 as of the 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area. Huntsville is in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45 and home to ...
, and returned to Maryland after the adoption of the
state constitution of 1867. Jones continued to be influential among many former
Confederates, speaking at meetings of war veterans, including the dedication of a memorial to the Confederate dead in
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
.
Professional life
Jones returned to Maryland in 1868 established a law practice in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
. On December 21, 1871, he married Ellen Brewer, daughter of John and Elizabeth Stewart (Buchanan) Brewer. On January 31, 1875, Ellen Jones gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, who later married Thomas R. Falvy of
, Louisiana. Mrs. Jones died on July 21, 1876.
A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, Jones was elected
State's Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
of
Montgomery County in 1871 and re-elected in 1875. He also served as clerk of the
Maryland Court of Appeals
The Supreme Court of Maryland is the state supreme court, highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The cou ...
, from 1879 to 1891. During this period, Jones was often appointed to serve as a
Trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
in equity cases that were heard before the Montgomery County Circuit Court. He also rose to a high position within the
Maryland Democratic Party
The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis. The current state party chair is Yvette Lewis. It is currently the ...
, speaking frequently at state party conventions, as well as Democratic parties and rallies. The Maryland legislature elected him Treasurer of the State of Maryland in 1892. He was re-elected in 1894, but lost the 1896 election due to a Republican majority in the
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamb ...
. Jones was considered several times for the Democratic Party nomination for
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
. In 1895, Jones' nomination was thought likely, but his ambitions were thwarted when
Arthur P. Gorman threw his support to a Mr. Hurst. He was subsequently elected Mayor of Rockville in 1898 and again in 1900. He resigned in 1901 upon being elected to the state Senate. During the session of 1902 he was chairman of the Finance Committee, and in 1904 he was elected president of the
Maryland Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...
.
Maryland State House
Jones took a leadership role in the construction of the State House Annex at the beginning of the twentieth century. As a
state senator, Jones served on the Executive Committee of the State House Building Commission. On the Building Commission, he frequently participated in meetings regarding the funding and contracts for the State House refurbishment and construction of the State House Annex. In August 1902, the ''Baltimore Sun'' reported that the idea for the Annex was Jones' and that he submitted the appropriations bill to fund the restoration and construction. Jones' original bill requested $400,000, but at the request of the Governor and Treasury officials, he changed his request to $250,000, with the understanding that any additional money would be provided during the next legislative session. Jones was elected President of the State Senate on January 4, 1904, and gave a speech that emphasized the importance of completing construction on the State House: "So with the sunshine of prosperity, honor and usefulness upon us should we hesitate to make this house a beautiful, lasting and appropriate expression of our gratitude for, and pride in, the achievements of our people? It is with sadness that we are compelled by the necessities of the situation to vacate the old Senate Chamber, memorable in the history of the State, and in which cluster associations which strike a tender chord in the heart of every true Marylander. Let us have if restored as near as, possible to its original condition and sacredly preserve it as the holiest of all in this temple of our liberties," (Archives of Maryland, Vol. 401, pp. 10). A major focus of Jones' speech was that the Legislature should provide the necessary funding to complete the work on the State House and that such work must maintain the original character of the building.
End of career, personal associations, death
Jones' term in the Senate ended with his defeat in a primary by
Blair Lee in 1905. In addition to his legal practice and his political career, Jones was the director, and later president, of the Montgomery County National Bank of Rockville. Jones was a
Mason and Knight of Pythias, with whom he held high offices. He also served as
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
of the Board of Visitors of the State School for the Deaf in
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...
. Jones died April 1, 1915, in
, at the home of his daughter, Elizabeth, and son-in-law, Thomas R. Falvy.
His body was brought back to Frederick and buried with his wife, Ellen.
References
*Chapman Publishing Company. Portrait and Biographical Record of the Sixth Congressional District, Maryland. New York, NY: Chapman Publishing Co.,1898.
*Hartzler, Daniel D. Marylanders in the Confederacy. Silver Spring, MD: Family Line Publications, 1986.
*Holdcraft, Jacob Mehrling. Names in Stone: 75,000 Cemetery Inscriptions from Frederick County, Maryland, Volume 1. Ann Arbor, MI: Jacob M. Holdcraft, 1966.
*Jones, Spencer Cone, Address of Spencer C. Jones, delivered at Winchester, Va., June 5, 1880, Baltimore: King Brothers, 1880.
*Maryland State Archives, http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001500/001549/html/msa01549.html
*Secretary of State. Maryland Manual 1902. Baltimore, MD: Wm. J. C. Dulany Co., 1903.
*
Steiner, Bernard Christian. Men of Mark of Maryland, Volume I. Washington, D.C.: Johnson-Wynne Co., 1907.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Spencer Cone
1836 births
1915 deaths
Maryland state senators
Mayors of Rockville, Maryland
19th-century American politicians