Sam H. Jones

Sam H. Jones

Sam Houston Jones (born July 15, 1897 in Merryville , Beauregard Parish , Louisiana ; † February 8, 1978 in Lake Charles , Louisiana) was an American politician and governor of the state of Louisiana from 1940 to 1944 .

Early years and political advancement

Jones attended Louisiana State University . But he had to interrupt this course because of the First World War . In this war he took part as a major in an infantry unit . After the war he continued his education with a law degree. After his admission to the bar, he practiced his new profession in Lake Charles. Jones became a member of the Democratic Party . In 1921 he was a member of a commission to revise the state constitution of Louisiana. Between 1925 and 1934 he was a district attorney in the state's 14th judicial district.

Background to the 1940 gubernatorial election

In 1939 there was a faction within the Democratic Party that opposed the policies of Huey Pierce Long and his brother Earl Long . Since 1928, the Longs had either held the office of governor themselves, or they controlled it with the help of a confidante who administered the office of governor on their behalf. Huey Long had moved to the US Senate and was murdered in 1935, but his faction continued to control Louisiana.

After the resignation of Governor Richard W. Leche in 1939 Earl Long was promoted to governor. He has now applied for a continuation of his term of office. In this situation, the Long opponents approached Jones and asked him to run against Earl Long. Jones agreed after some hesitation, promising a return to honesty after the corruption of recent years that had reached its sad climax under Governor Leche. He managed to just get through in the primaries and then win the actual elections.

Louisiana Governor

Sam Jones took up his new office on May 14, 1940. During his four-year tenure, Jones reformed the Louisiana government. Ministries and committees were abolished or merged. Public service positions were also eliminated. When awarding public contracts, tenders were prescribed by law in order to stop corruption. Teachers' salaries were raised and social welfare programs were put in place. In addition, the annual registration requirement for voters has been abolished. Jones also promoted Louisiana's foreign trade.

In his fight against the supporters of Earl Long, he dismissed them from the public service and hired his people for it. In order to secure the support of the former Governor James A. Noe , he had to reserve a certain number of positions for Noe's friends. In doing so, he overturned his principles and made the same mistake as the Longs. The second part of Jones' tenure was overshadowed by the events of World War II , to which Louisiana also played its part. Due to a constitutional clause, Sam Jones was not allowed to run again directly in 1944. Therefore, he resigned on May 9, 1944 from his office.

Another résumé

In 1948, to his great disappointment, Jones lost to Earl Long in the gubernatorial election of all people. He then returned to Lake Charles to work as a lawyer again. After that he was still a member of several government committees of Louisiana. He continued to be a staunch opponent of Long. Although Jones was still a Democrat, he was internally distancing himself from the party. So he supported Barry Goldwater , the Republican candidate in the 1964 presidential election . Sam Jones died in 1978. He had two children with his wife, Louise Gambrell Boyer. The son Robert was also politically active and from 1968 to 1972 MP in the House of Representatives from Louisiana .

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Sam Jones in the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Louisiana (English)
• Sam H. Jones in the database of Find a Grave (English)