Woodrow Wilson Jones (January 26, 1914 – November 25, 2002) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina. Appeals from the Western District of North Carolina are take ...

. jones was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

on June 27, 1967, to a seat vacated by J. Braxton Craven, Jr. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 28, 1967, and received commission the same day. Served as chief judge, 1968–1984. Assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on February 1, 1985. Jones's service was terminated on November 25, 2002, due to death.

Education and career

Born on January 26, 1914, in Rutherfordton,FJC Bio indicates he was born in Rutherfordton, while Cong Bio indicates he was born in the adjacent Green Hill Township. Rutherford County,

, Jones attended the public schools of Rutherford County. He received an

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

degree from

Mars Hill College Mars Hill University is a private Christian university in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The university offers 35 undergraduate majors and includes a school of nursing and graduate schools in education, criminal justice, and management. From 1859 t ...

in 1934. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Wake Forest University School of Law The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited ...

in 1937. He was in private practice of law in Rutherfordton from 1937 to 1944. He was City Attorney of Rutherfordton from 1940 to 1943. He was prosecuting attorney of the Rutherford County Recorder's Court from 1941 to 1943. He was a

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

Lieutenant (j.g.) from 1944 to 1946. He was in private practice of law in Rutherfordton from 1946 to 1950. He was a Member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

from 1947 to 1949. He was a

from North Carolina from 1950 to 1957. He was in private practice of law in Rutherfordton from 1956 to 1967.

Congressional and subsequent political service

Jones was elected as 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 ...

to the 81st Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Alfred L. Bulwinkle. He was reelected to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from November 7, 1950, to January 3, 1957, but was not a candidate for renomination to the 85th Congress in 1956. He was a delegate to all Democratic State Conventions from 1940 to 1960 and was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1960. He was the Chairman of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of ...

Executive Committee from 1958 to 1960. He was appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Luther Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges (March 9, 1898October 6, 1974) was a businessman and American politician. After a career in textile manufacturing, he entered public service, gaining some state appointments. Elected as lieutenant governor of North Carolin ...

as a member of state constitution commission from 1958 to 1960. Jones was 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 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

''.

Federal judicial service

Jones was nominated by President

on June 27, 1967, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge James Braxton Craven Jr. He was confirmed by the

on June 28, 1967, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1968 to 1984. He assumed

on February 1, 1985. He presided over the criminal proceedings related to Project WestVote, a large federal investigation into vote-buying in western North Carolina. His service was terminated on November 25, 2002, due to his death in Rutherfordton. He was interred in the Rutherfordton City Cemetery in Rutherfordton.

References

External links

*
Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Woodrow Wilson 1914 births 2002 deaths Mars Hill University alumni Wake Forest University alumni North Carolina Democratic Party chairs Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges People from Rutherford County, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 20th-century American politicians People from Rutherfordton, North Carolina American segregationists