Ben Jones

**Ben Lewis Jones** (born 30 August 1941) is an American actor, politician, playwright and essayist.

He is best known for his role as Cooter Davenport in *The Dukes of Hazzard*.

## Acting Career

Ben Jones made his first television appearance in the show *Movin' On* in 1975. He appeared in the movie *Moonrunners* in 1975, which was also directed by Gy Waldron. Waldron met with Jones after the movie was released to discuss creating *The Dukes of Hazzard*. Jones was the first to audition for the show.

Critics first predicted that the show 'would not last after the first commercial break'.[citation needed] The television show ran from 1979 to 1985 and garnered fans throughout the world.

## Political Career

Following the end of *The Dukes of Hazzard*, Jones entered the political arena as a Democrat. In 1986, he ran unsuccessfully against Pat Swindall for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Georgia, garnering 47% of the vote, more than expected. He ran again in 1988 against Swindall, this time easily winning with 60% of the vote. Jones was narrowly re-elected in 1990, but in 1992, following redistricting which moved his home into another district, he was defeated in the Democratic primary election. In 1994, he ran against the then-House Minority Whip and soon-to-be House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Jones received 35% of the vote.

Jones has since returned to acting, as well as becoming a well-known writer, writing many political essays and a one-man play about Dizzy Dean in which he plays the famous "Gashouse Gang" pitcher and baseball announcer.

In 1998, he broke from most Democrats and called on President Bill Clinton to resign during his impeachment. Jones is still active in the Democratic Party. In 2002, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States House from Virginia against Republican incumbent Eric Cantor, thus becoming one of very few recent American politicians to seek elective office in more than one state.

### Confederate Flag Controversy

In 2015, Jones announced his support of the Confederate Flag, which can be seen on the exterior top of *The Dukes of Hazzard* signature car, the General Lee. His defense of the flag served as his response to Warner Bros.' decision to no longer manufacture any merchandise that features the Flag, such as the General Lee, and the discontinuation of reruns of the show due to Dylann Roof's infamous reputation associated with the flag.

Though Jones often refers to his Civil Rights activism in the 1960s, quotes Dr. Martin Luther King, claims a lifelong membership in the NAACP (an organization that "...has been fighting against symbols that glorify the Confederacy...), and calls for a dialog between both sides of the Confederate Flag issue, he dismisses any association between the Confederate Flag and slavery. Instead he focuses on his pride in the Confederate flag as a memorial to his ancestors who fought for the Confederacy in what he refers to as "The War of Northern Aggression." For example, in an editorial Jones wrote titled, "The Second War of Northern Aggression," his only mention of slavery is in scare quotes, "Since the North won, the conventional wisdom there is usually simple: the North fought the Civil War to ‘free the slaves’ and to save the Union from the secessionist traitors of the South" He also attributes any association between the Confederate Flag and slavery to a "wave of political correctness" and calls it a "cultural cleansing."

## Personal Life

Jones is a 1959 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Virginia and attended the University of North Carolina for four years. He is married to Alma Viator. By previous wives, Ben has a daughter, Rachel, and a son, Walker.

Since the 1990s, Jones has run a chain of "Cooter's museums" across the U.S. dedicated to *The Dukes of Hazzard*. "Cooter's Place" currently has locations in Tennessee and Virginia. Jones also monetizes his sitcom role through his band, Cooter's Garage Band, and events such as Hazzard Run and Cooter's Shenandoah Jamboree.

When meeting with fans at a recent autograph signing session, Jones stated he 'greatly disapproved' the production of *The Dukes of Hazzard* movies (2005, 2007). Jones stated that he disliked the portrayal of Uncle Jesse by Willie Nelson and the portrayal of Daisy Duke by Jessica Simpson. Jones stated that the original TV show, was a 'family television show', but with Hollywood's adaptation, it wasn't 'as family friendly'.