Walter H. Jones (New Jersey politician)

Walter H. Jones
Walter H. Jones
Member of the; New Jersey Senate; from Bergen County
	In office; 1954–1962
Preceded by	David Van Alstyne Jr.
Succeeded by	Pierce H. Deamer Jr.
Member of the; New Jersey General Assembly; from Bergen County
	In office; 1943–1954
Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
	In office; 1946–1947
Preceded by	Freas L. Hess
Succeeded by	Leon Leonard
Chairman of the Bergen County Republican Party
	In office; 1963–1966
Preceded by	Frank V. Jerlinski
Succeeded by	Nelson G. Gross
Personal details
Born	Walter Henry Jones; August 18, 1912; New York City, New York
Died	July 19, 1982 (aged 69)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Alice Ferris Henshaw
Alma mater	B.A. Rutgers University Rutgers University Law School

Walter Henry Jones (August 18, 1912 – July 19, 1982) was a 20th Century American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as a New Jersey State Senator and was a candidate for Governor of New Jersey.

Early life

Jones was born August 18, 1912, in New York City, the son of Oscar and Josephine Jones. He is a 1934 graduate of Rutgers University and received his law degree from Rutgers Law School in 1937. He received a Master of Law degree from New York University in 1942.

Early career

He maintained his own law practice with offices in Hackensack and Newark, and was an assistant professor of law at Rutgers Law School.^[1]

Assemblyman

Jones was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1942, and served consecutive terms in through 1953. He served as the Assembly Majority Leader in 1945 and as Assembly Speaker in 1946. Governor Walter Edge appointed him to serve as on the State Administrative Reorganization Commission in 1945.^[2]

State senator

Jones was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 1953 and was re-elected in 1957.^[3] Jones led a Senate investigation into garbage collection rackets and battled with New York politicians on their requirement that New Jerseyans who commute to work in New York pay a New York state income tax. Jones also focused on issues related to commuter transit, an issue that affected many of his New York constituents.^[4]

Diplomatic Assignment

In 1954, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles appointed him to serve as a member of the Inter-Governmental Committee on European Migration. He held that post through 1955. In 1955, Jones surveyed European casualties in connection with he Refugee Relief Program.

Campaign for Governor

Jones sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey in 1961, and at the start of the campaign he was considered the front-runner.^[5] He lost a particularly bitter primary contest with former U.S. Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell. Mitchell beat Jones by 41,635 votes, 44%-35%.^[6] Jones gave up his Senate seat to run for governor.

Republican Party Chairman

From 1963 to 1966, Jones served as chairman of the Bergen County Republican Organization.^[7]

Indictment

A federal grand jury indicted Jones in 1971 on charges that he covered up a $2.4 million bank fraud. He was acquitted of all charges in 1974.^[8]

Family

Jones married Alice Ferris Henshaw (1916–2012) on May 5, 1939. He had four children: Walter H. Jones, 3d (Born 1942); Graham Oscar Jones (Born 1944); Susan Henshaw Jones (Born 1947); and Deborah Jones (Born 1952). He lived in Norwood, New Jersey.^[9]^[10]

1961 Republican Primary for Governor

Candidate	Office	Votes	%
James P. Mitchell	Former U.S. Secretary of Labor	202,188	44%
Walter H. Jones	State Senator from Bergen County	160,553	35%
Wayne Dumont, Jr.	State Senator from Warren County	95,761	21%
Louis Berns		4,376	1%

References

^ Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.
^ Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.
^ Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.
^ "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.
^ "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.
^ "Our Campaigns". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
^ "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.
^ "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.
^ Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.
^ Staff. "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN", The New York Times, July 20, 1982. Accessed June 15, 2015. "Walter H. Jones, a former New Jersey State Senator and Assemblyman, died yesterday at Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, N.J. He was 69 years old and lived in Norwood, N.J."

[1] Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.

[2] Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.

[3] Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.

[4] "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.

[5] "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.

[6] "Our Campaigns". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[7] "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.

[8] "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN". New York Times. 20 July 1982.

[9] Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. Joseph J. Gribbons. 1959. pp. 356–357.

[10] Staff. "WALTER H. JONES, JERSEY POLITICIAN", The New York Times, July 20, 1982. Accessed June 15, 2015. "Walter H. Jones, a former New Jersey State Senator and Assemblyman, died yesterday at Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, N.J. He was 69 years old and lived in Norwood, N.J."

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