James C. Jones
| James C. Jones | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 10th Governor of Tennessee | |
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In office October 15, 1841 – October 14, 1845 |
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| Preceded by | James K. Polk |
| Succeeded by | Aaron V. Brown |
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United States Senator from Tennessee |
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In office March 4, 1851 – March 4, 1857 |
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| Preceded by | Hopkins L. Turney |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 20, 1809 Davidson County, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | October 29, 1859 (aged 50) Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Resting place |
Elmwood Cemetery Memphis, Tennessee |
| Political party | Whig (until 1854), Democrat (1854–1859) |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Munford |
| Profession | Farmer |
James Chamberlain Jones (April 20, 1809 – October 29, 1859) was an American politician who served as the Governor of Tennessee from 1841 to 1845, and as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1851 to 1857. A Whig, Jones twice defeated rising politician James K. Polk for the governorship (in 1841 and 1843). He was the first native-born Tennessean to be elected governor.
Jones's first gubernatorial term was marked by gridlock with the state senate, which was led by a group of Democratic senators known as the "Immortal Thirteen." His second term was more productive, as his fellow Whigs controlled both houses of the legislature. Though he later joined the Democratic Party, Jones's speaking skills and campaign style helped to solidify Tennessee's Whigs as one of the strongest Whig movements in the South.
A thin man whose nickname was "Lean Jimmy" (he stood 6'2" but weighed only 125 pounds), Jones was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of Peter and Catherine Chappell Jones. His parents died when he was still young, and he was raised by an uncle in Wilson County. He occasionally attended public schools. After marrying Sarah Munford in 1829, he purchased a farm near Lebanon, Tennessee.
In 1836, Jones supported the presidential campaign of Hugh Lawson White, a former Democrat who had turned against Andrew Jackson and joined the Whig Party. The following year, Jones was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing Wilson County. He was reelected in 1839. In 1840, Jones was an elector for presidential candidate William Henry Harrison. While in the legislature, Jones studied law, but never practiced.
In 1841, the Tennessee Whigs nominated Jones as their candidate for governor. The Whigs believed that Jones, widely known as an entertaining speaker and storyteller, was their best shot to defeat incumbent governor, James K. Polk. After besting Polk in a series of debates in the Spring of 1841, Jones won the election by just 3,000 votes out of over 100,000 cast.
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