| Sam H. Jones |
Article Index for Sam H |
Website Links For Sam |
Information AboutSam H. Jones |
|
EARLY LIFE Sam Jones was born in Merryville, Louisiana , in class="copylinks">Beauregard Parish On July 15, 1897, And Was Reared In Nearby [[DeRidder, Louisiana . He served in the United States Army during World War I , spending most of that time at Camp Beauregard . After the war he studied law at Louisiana State University , and practiced law in DeRidder before moving to Lake Charles in 1924, where he practiced law and served as assistant district attorney for nine years. ELECTION OF 1940 ''Main Article: Louisiana Gubernatorial Election, 1940 '' In August 1939, Jones was approached by members of the political faction opposed to the policies of former governor Huey Long to run for governor in 1940 against Huey's brother, Earl Kemp Long . Though initially reluctant, Jones agreed, and ran on a platform promising a return to honest efficient government after the corruption and excesses of the Long years. He particularly emphasized "the scandals" involving Huey Long's successor as governor, Richard Leche . Earl Long led in the primary round of voting, but with support from defeated third-place candidate and disgruntled former Long supporter James A. Noe , Jones won a close victory in the runoff election and became governor. Jones received 284,437 (51.7 percent) to Long's 265,403 (48.3 percent). Although Noe and Long quarreled in the 1940 election, they ran -- unsuccessfully -- as a "team" for governor and lieutenant, respectively, in the 1959 Democratic primary. JONES AS GOVERNOR As governor, Jones tried to eliminate the power of the Longite political machine by reducing the number of state employees, instituting competitive bidding for state contracts, eliminating the deduct system of mandatory campaign contributions by state employees, and enacting new civil service standards. He faced the dilemma of having to resort to the heavy-handed tactics of the Longites in order to enact his reform program, and his critics and even some supporters saw this process as tainted. In order to obtain the support of former Longite Noe and his followers, Jones had to promise him a proportion of patronage jobs in a practice which directly contradicted Jones's campaign promises. Noe's later defection from Jones's reform camp led to the stalling of many of Jones's reform proposals in the state legislature. Jones was barred from succeeding himself as governor, and therefore Was Succeeded In 1944 by another anti-Long candidate, Jimmie H. Davis . Jones attempted a gubernatorial comeback in 1947, but he was most disappointed. Earl Kemp Long was called out of retirement by 432,528 voters (65.9 percent). Jones received 223,971 votes (34.1 percent). Jones hence returned to Lake Charles to practice law, but he remained a politically prominent member of the anti-Long faction throughout the 1950s. In 1964, Jones endorsed the Republican presidential nominee, Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona , who won Louisiana' ten electoral votes. Jones died in Lake Charles on February 7 , 1978 . He is buried in Prien Memorial Park Cemetery in Lake Charles . Jones' son, Robert G. "Bob" Jones, was a Democratic state senator from Lake Charles and a political reformer like his father. In 1975, Jones ran in the jungle primary for governor. He polled 292,220 votes (24.3 percent) losing Democratic incumbent Edwin Washington Edwards , who had 750,107 (62.4 percent). Another candidate, Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr., drew 146,368 votes (12.2 percent). Later, both Robert Jones and Wade Martin became Republicans. Governor Jones, however, remained Democrat though he frequently supported certain Republican candidates in Louisiana general elections. REFERENCES Conrad, Glenn R. (1988) ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography.'' Louisiana Historical Association. Davis, Edwin Adams (1961) ''Louisiana: The Pelican State.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. LCCN 59:9008. Hathorn, Billy (1980), "The Republican Party in Louisiana, 1920-1980," Northwestern State University at Natchitoches thesis Jeansonne, Glen, "Sam Houston Jones and the Revolution of 1940." ''Red River Valley Historical Review'' 4 (1979). Reeves, Miriam G. (1998), ''The Governors of Louisiana.'' Gretna: Pelican Publishing. Sanson, Jerry Purvis. "Sam Jones, Jimmie Noe, and the Reform Alliance, 1940-1942" ''Louisiana History'' 27 (1986) http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/jones8.html#RL315H99O |
|
|