Benjamin Franklin Jones (August 8, 1824 – May 19, 1903) was a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. Originally involved in the river barge industry, he purchased a share in American Iron Works in 1851, along with
Bernard Lauth. He later joined with
James H. Laughlin to form
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard Lauth and Benjamin Franklin Jones, a few miles (c 4 km) south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in ...
, a steel mill heavily dependent on river transportation. The
B.F. Jones Memorial Library in Aliquippa Pennsylvania, the site of J&L Steel's Aliquippa Works, was built in his honor with funds donated by his daughter.
Biography
He was born on August 8, 1824 in
Claysville, Pennsylvania
Claysville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area since 1950. The population was 728 at the 2020 census. Claysville Elementary School, part of the McGuffey School District is ...
. He married Mary McMasters and had a son, Benjamin Franklin Jones, Jr. From 1884 to 1888 he was chairman of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
. He died on May 19, 1903 in
Allegheny City, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...
.
Legacy
He was executor of Laughlin's estate.
Politics
As chairman of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
1884 to 1888, he was responsible for the
James G. Blaine presidential campaign.
See also
*
Benjamin Franklin Jones Cottage
The Benjamin Franklin Jones Cottage (also known as Braemar Cottage) is a cottage on the National Register of Historic Places in Cresson Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States.
In 1990, the mansion was purchased by a group that d ...
*
B. F. Jones House
References
1824 births
1903 deaths
American industrialists
American steel industry businesspeople
Burials at Allegheny Cemetery
Businesspeople from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Republicans
People from Washington County, Pennsylvania
Republican National Committee chairs
19th-century American businesspeople
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