The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-30

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Public Life in Is35-Before That HI
Was q General in the Black Hawk Wa
Represented Michigan Territory as ,
DeIegate-Was Iows's First Senator
AGreat Fighter of I,uels- Locked MP 1,
Fort Lafayette by Secretary seware
Through . Mistake.
Unconscious and surrounded by hi.
children, General George Wallace Jones
"Nester OF living statesmen" passed
away at Dubuque. Ia, on July q. Since
the spring Of 1895 his sight and health
mad been failing, and an operation last
year for the removal Of a cataract lef;
him able TO distinguish only the shad-
ows OF objects. He spent last summer
wiah niece at Crosse Point, near De
'itroit, debating his autobiography. but
was unable to complete It, and last win
ter was obliged TO yield the privilege OF
leading the charity ball. an Office he had
performed for many years with that dis
tinguished grace which made him the
| Chesterfield of London society sixty
| years ago.
HISTORY OF 4 NOTED CAREER.
| General Jones' father was John Rice
| Jones, native of Wales, a wealthy
| pioneer, the friend and contemporary
! Of Benjamin Franklin, and the first
| man TO practice law in Indiana and
illinois. AT Vincennes, Ind, where the
general was born in 1904, he was often
as boy dandled on the knee by General
William Henry Harrison. then a pri-
vate citizen AT Pennsylvania univer-
sity, at Lexington, KY, he received a
fine education and chummed with JEFF
ferson Davis. In November, 1923, n
served as sergeant Of General jack
| sons bodyguard in that hero's triun-
phal progress from Tennessee TO Wash
ington as senator-elect, and IN May,
| 1924, he was sergeant of the bodyguard
Of the Marquis de Lafayette as ne
passed through Kentucky amid the &C
Carnations of the populace. 1t 1927 he
lived at st. Genevieve and at St Louis,
No, and the next year, owing TO delicate
health, he went TO the then territory of
Michigan and engaged in lead smelt-
ing.
BLACK HAWK VETERAN.
In 1882 ne served in the Black Hawk
war as aid under General Henry Dodge,
afterward Senator Dodge from Wiscon-
sin, and at its close he acquired the
rank and title of general. In 1886 he
was elected Democratic delegate (the
first one) from Michigan territory,
which included the vast domain now
comprising the present states of Michi-
gan, Wisconsi, Iowa, Minnesota, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Mon
tana, Idaho. Washington and Oregon.
Ever since he has been Democrat, al
though in 1885 and 1892 he voted for
Harriso in consideration of the fact that
"Old Tippecanoe' had handled HIM IN
his knee when q boy. During bis SER
ice in congress. the house Of representa-
tives sat in what ia now Statuary hall
while the senate occupied the present
supreme court chamber. The present
senate chamber and house eliambe-
were not added as wings TO the capitol
until 1866.
General Jones' brother-in-law, John
Scott. with whom he studied law in
st Genevieve, was the sole representa-
tive from the state of Missouri in 1875,
when John Quincy Adams was chosen
president by the house Of representa-
tives over Andrew Jackson. Each
state had but a single vote, and Mis-
souri, counted for as much as New York.
Naturally, Adams was grateful to Scott
for making him president, and, on his
subsequent election to the house of rep
resentatiyes, he received with open
arms the brother OF Scott's wife. He
also gave him the entree to all the up
per circles. General Jones frequently
dined with Lewis Cass, when the lat
ter was secretary Of war under Jack
son. Cass was very wealthy, and his
table, General Jones said, was magnifi- |
Gently furnished with gold plate.
MICHIGAN TERRITORY DIVIDED. |
July 4. 1886, at General Jones' instance. |
the great territory of Michigan was d. |
vided up and the territory of Wisconsin |
was framed from il and named by him |
in bill he introduced for the purpose. |
Wisconsin territory then embraced the |
whole of Michigan territory except the |
present state of Michigan. With Dan |
lei Webster in that same summer vaca- |
tion he engaged in some land specula- |
tons in the new territory, Webster |
the money, loaned him by |
the United States bank. and Jones. the /
experince and supervision, with the re- /
suit that Webster reaped $4,000 in
profits and Jones 500. 900.
Shortly afterward General Jones was |
elected as delegate from Wisconsin and /
served four years. but was defeated for /
the third term by his connection. as
second, with Jonathan Cilley OF Maine /
in the fatal duel with William J. Graves
of Kentucky.
July 4, 1888, through his instrumental
;ty, the territory of Iowa was in turn
created from the territory Of Wisconsin.
and named in accordance with his sug-
gestion, comprising all Wisconsin terri
tory, except what now constitutes the
state of Wisconsin
When Iowa was admitted as a state
in lS47. General Jones was made senator
from that state, together with Angus
tus Caesar Dodge, son OF Senator Dodge
Of Wisconsin. Young Dodge and Gem
eral Jones drew lots for long term. and
Jones won. Through his close friend
ship with President Pierce. dating from
the latter's service IN congress. he was
largely instrumental in having Jeffer-
son Davis appointed secretary OF war
in 1883. Davis often visited Jones at his
house. and the two college chuns were
fast friends. In the senate General
Jones was for six years chairman OF
the committee on pensions. and under
him were Senators Seward and Sumner.
IN AFFAIRS OF HONOR.
Senator Jones in his time was great
believer in the code and figured n
seven different affairs % honor" al
though a principal in only one. IN 1926