Phineas Jones

Phineas Jones (April 18, 1819 – April 19, 1884) was an American businessman and Republican politician who represented New Jersey’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1881 to 1883. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and he participated in the democratic process as a member of the Republican Party, representing the interests of his constituents in northern New Jersey.

Jones was born in Spencer, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on April 18, 1819. He was the son of Phineas Jones, who had served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and Hannah Phillips, a descendant of the Reverend George Phillips, one of the early Puritan settlers who arrived in New England and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1630. Raised in this New England setting with deep colonial and revolutionary roots, Jones attended the common schools of Spencer, receiving the basic education typical of the period and region.

In 1855, Jones left Massachusetts and moved to Elizabethtown, New Jersey, later known as Elizabeth. Almost immediately he became involved in local public affairs. From 1856 to 1860 he served as a member of the city council of Elizabeth, participating in the governance and development of the growing municipality. His early engagement in municipal government helped establish his reputation as a civic leader and provided a foundation for his later political career at the state and national levels.

Jones relocated to Newark, New Jersey, in 1860, where he engaged in manufacturing and mercantile pursuits. In Newark, an important industrial and commercial center, he built a career as a businessman, reflecting the broader economic expansion of the mid-nineteenth century. In addition to his commercial activities, he became vice president of the New Jersey State Agricultural Society, a position that connected him to the agricultural interests of the state and broadened his influence beyond urban and industrial circles.

Building on his local and statewide prominence, Jones entered state-level politics as a Republican. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and served as a member in 1873 and 1874. In the Assembly he took part in the legislative process of the state during the post–Civil War and Reconstruction-era years, contributing to debates and decisions affecting New Jersey’s political and economic life. His legislative experience in Trenton further prepared him for federal office and strengthened his standing within the Republican Party.

Jones was elected as a Republican to the Forty-seventh Congress, representing New Jersey’s 6th congressional district. He served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1883. During his single term in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process at the national level, aligning with Republican policies of the era and advocating for the interests of his constituents in New Jersey. Although eligible for another term, he declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1882, thereby concluding his brief but notable period of federal service.

After leaving Congress in March 1883, Jones retired from active public and business life and remained in Newark. He died there on April 19, 1884, one day after his sixty-fifth birthday. Phineas Jones was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, New Jersey, a burial ground that serves as the final resting place for many of the region’s prominent citizens.