Cornelius J. Jones (August 13, 1858 – March 13, 1931) was a lawyer and state legislator who represented Issaquena County in the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1890 and 1891 as a Republican.[1]

Cornelius Jones was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1858.[1] He worked as a lawyer in Mayersville.[2] He ran against T. C. Catchings for a seat in the U.S. Congress and contested the result.[3][4] In addition to representing the plaintiffs in Johnson v. McAdoo, the "first documented federal litigation for reparations for slavery,"[5] Jones was a defense attorney for Henry Williams and appealed his death penalty conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court (Williams v. Mississippi). At that time, no African Americans were allowed to sit on juries in Mississippi and Jones' appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding this was unanimously rejected by the Court.[6]

Jones died in Oklahoma on March 16, 1931.[1] The New York Public Library has a collection of his and his sister's family papers and several photographs of him.[1]

See also

References

Wikisource has original text in Johnson v. McAdoo (App. D.C. 1916) related to the:
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Cornelius J. Jones – Against All Odds".
  2. ↑ Another One Nailed, March 13,
  3. ↑ "Jones, Cornelius J. 1858-1931 [WorldCat Identities]".
  4. ↑ Jones, Cornelius J, et al. Contested election case of Cornelius J. Jones vs. T.C. Catchings in House of Representatives of 56th Congress of the United States: brief of contestant. Washington, D.C.: National Publishing Co., Prs, 1899.
  5. ↑ Coleman, Arica L. The House Hearing on Slavery Reparations Is Part of a Long History. Here's What to Know on the Idea's Tireless Early Advocates, Time Inc., June 18, 2019
  6. ↑ "Natchez Democrat, March 22, 1899 – Against All Odds".
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