George Washington Jones (Texas politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = George Washington Jones

| image = George Washington Jones (Texas Congressman).jpg

| state = Texas

| district = {{ushr|TX|5|5th}}

| term_start = March 4, 1879

| term_end = March 3, 1883

| predecessor = Dewitt Clinton Giddings

| successor = James W. Throckmorton

| office2 = 10th Lieutenant Governor of Texas

| term_start2 = August 9, 1866

| term_end2 = August 8, 1867

| governor2 = James W. Throckmorton

| predecessor2 = Fletcher Stockdale

| successor2 = James W. Flanagan

| office3 = Bastrop County Attorney

| term_start3 = 1858

| term_end3 = 1860

| predecessor3 =

| successor3 =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1828|9|5}}

| birth_place = Marion County, Alabama, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1903|7|11|1828|9|5}}

| death_place = Bastrop, Texas, U.S.

| restingplace = Fairview Cemetery

| party = Democratic (1866)
Independent (1876–84){{efn|Jones had support from the Greenback and Republican parties for his bids for Congress and Governor.}}
Populist (1898)

| spouse = {{marriage|Ledora Ann Mullins|August 1, 1855}}

| children =

| profession = Lawyer

| religion =

| allegiance = {{flag|Confederate States|1861b}}

| branch = {{army|CSA|size=23px}}
Robert T. Allen’s
Seventeenth Texas Infantry

| rank = 30px Colonel

}}

George Washington Jones (September 5, 1828 – July 11, 1903) was an American politician who served as the tenth lieutenant governor of Texas and was a Greenback member of the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

George Washington Jones was born to William Dandridge Claiborne Jones and Rachel Burleson Jones on September 5, 1828, in Marion County, Alabama.{{cite AV media|title=George Washington Jones genealogy|publisher=LDS Family Search.org|location=LDS Compact Disc #10 Pin #122475}} He moved with his parents to Tipton County, Tennessee, and then to Bastrop, Texas. Jones studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1851, and commenced practice in Bastrop. He owned slaves.{{Citation|title=Congress slaveowners|date=2022-01-10|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2022-07-08}}

From 1858 until 1860, he served as Bastrop county attorney.{{cite book|last=Guttery|first=Ben|title=Representing Texas: a Comprehensive History of U.S. and Confederate Senators and Representatives from Texas|year=2008|publisher=BookSurge Publishing|isbn=978-1-4196-7884-4|page=89}}

Military service

Although a supporter of the Union, Jones served in the Confederate States Army, eventually attaining the rank of colonel as commander of the 17th Texas Infantry Regiment.{{cite web|title=The 17th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment |url=https://www.angelfire.com/tx/RandysTexas/page55.html | publisher=J.P. Blessington|access-date=2 July 2010}}

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 as governor. Both Jones and Throckmorton were removed from office in 1867 by General Philip Henry Sheridan for being obstructions to Reconstruction.{{Handbook of Texas | name= GW Jones |author=Cutrer, Thomas W |id= fjo49 | retrieved=2 July 2010}} Texas State Historical Association

In 1878, Jones was elected as United States Congressman for the Texas 5th Congressional District. He was reelected in 1880 and served from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1882.