George Washington Jones (September 5, 1828 – July 11, 1903) was an American politician who served as

lieutenant governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and control ...

and was a Greenback member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

Early life

George Washington Jones was born to William Dandridge Claiborne Jones and Rachel Burleson Jones on September 5, 1828, in

Marion County, Alabama Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 29,341. The county seat is Hamilton. The county was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The coun ...

. He moved with his parents to

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covington. Tipton County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS ...

, and then to

Bastrop, Texas Bastrop () is a city and the county seat of Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,688 according to the 2020 census. It is located about southeast of Austin and is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. History Spani ...

. Jones studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1851, and commenced practice in Bastrop. He owned slaves. From 1858 until 1860, he served as Bastrop county attorney.

Military service

Although a supporter of the Union, Jones served in the

Confederate States 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 ...

, eventually attaining the rank of colonel as commander of the

17th Texas Infantry Regiment The 17th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment organized in March 1862 with West Point graduate Robert T. P. Allen as it first col ...

Public service

He was a delegate to the Texas state constitutional convention in 1866. Jones was elected lieutenant governor in 1866, with

James W. Throckmorton James Webb Throckmorton (February 1, 1825April 21, 1894) was an American politician who served as the 12th governor of Texas from 1866 to 1867 during the early days of Reconstruction. He was a United States Congressman from Texas from 1875 to ...

as governor. Both Jones and Throckmorton were removed from office in 1867 by General Philip Henry Sheridan for being obstructions to

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

. Texas State Historical Association In 1878, Jones was elected as

United States Congressman 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 ...

for the Texas 5th Congressional District. He was reelected in 1880 and served from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883.

Personal life and death

On August 1, 1855, he married Ledora Ann Mullins in Bastrop. Jones died on July 11, 1903. Ledora Jones died on August 31, 1903. They are both interred at Fairview Cemetery in Bastrop.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, George Washington 1828 births 1903 deaths People from Marion County, Alabama Texas Democrats Greenback Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Lieutenant Governors of Texas Texas lawyers American slave owners People from Tipton County, Tennessee People from Bastrop, Texas Confederate States Army officers People of Texas in the American Civil War