Scipio Africanus Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scipio Africanus Jones
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| Born | August 3, 1863 |
| Died | March 2, 1943 (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Philander Smith College Shorter College |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Judge, Businessman, Philanthropist |
| Political party | Republican |
| Parent(s) | Jemima Jones (mother) Dr. Sanford Reamey (father) |
Scipio Africanus Jones (born August 3, 1863 – died March 2, 1943) was an important American educator, lawyer, judge, and philanthropist. He was also a Republican politician from Arkansas. He is best known for helping twelve African-American men who were sentenced to death after the Elaine Massacre in October 1919.
During the Elaine Massacre, many African Americans were arrested. No white people were charged by the state. Jones took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1923, the Court made a big decision in the case of Moore v. Dempsey. This decision meant that state criminal trials had to follow the rules of fair process under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Jones was born into slavery in Dallas County, Arkansas. He became a very successful businessman and lawyer. He was the first lawyer in Arkansas to argue that African Americans were not allowed to serve on grand juries or petit juries. This was against the law. In 1915, Jones became an acting judge in Little Rock. This was a big step because he was the first Black judge there.
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Early Life and Education
Scipio Jones's mother, Jemmina Jones, was a 15-year-old slave when he was born. His father was Dr. Sanford Reamey. Scipio went to Black schools near his home. In 1883, when he was 20, he moved to Little Rock. He took classes at Philander Smith College. In 1885, he earned a college degree from Shorter College. This college was for Black students.
Jones worked as a school teacher from 1885 to 1887. He became friends with three important Black business owners: Ed Wood, Sr., John Bush, and Chester Keatts. These men introduced Jones to the Prince Hall Freemasonry. This was a secret group of important African Americans. They worked together for freedom, equality, and peace.
Jones wanted to become a lawyer. He offered to work for free as a janitor at a law office. There, he read law books in his free time. He also learned from Circuit Judge Robert J. Lea. Jones passed the Arkansas Bar exam in 1889. At that time, there was no law school for African-American students in Arkansas. Learning from an established law firm was a common way to become a lawyer.
Political Life and Voting Rights
Jones joined the Republican Party. He ran for state representative in 1892 but did not win. He also went to the Republican National Convention many times. In 1891, a new election law in Arkansas made voting harder. This law, along with a poll tax in 1892, stopped most Black people and many poor white people from voting.
The Republican Party offered Jones jobs in Washington, D.C. and as an Ambassador to Haiti. But he said no to these jobs. He wanted to focus on helping people in Arkansas.
Jones worked to fight for voting rights. He was involved in a struggle within the Republican Party. He helped organize Black Republicans to challenge other groups. In 1920, Black Republicans nominated a Black candidate for Governor for the first time. Jones helped make sure Black people had a voice in the Republican Party.
Business Success
Jones was a very successful and powerful businessman. He started and owned the People's Ice & Fuel Company. This was the only Black-owned and operated ice and fuel company in the U.S. He also helped create the Arkansas Negro Business League. This group was connected to Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League.
Once, the city of Little Rock needed a loan. The banks would not lend the city money. Jones told the mayor that his clients had a lot of money in the banks. He said if the banks would not lend the money, his clients would. After hearing this, the banks agreed to lend the city the money.
Law Practice
Jones became a lawyer in 1889. He was allowed to practice law in many courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905. He was also the first treasurer of the National Negro Bar Association. This group was formed in Little Rock in 1910.
Jones was the main lawyer for the Mosaic Templars of America. This was one of the largest African-American fraternal organizations and Black-owned businesses in the country. It offered insurance, a bank, a newspaper, and other programs. Its main office was in Little Rock.
He also helped other Black fraternal groups. He was called "the Gibraltar of Negro fraternal beneficiary societies." This means he was a strong protector of these groups.
In 1915, Jones became a special judge in Little Rock. This happened because the regular judge stepped aside. The city attorney thought it was right to have a Black judge for a case where everyone involved was Black. This made some white lawyers angry, but Jones served as judge.
In 1924, Jones was elected as a special judge in the Pulaski County Chancery Court.
Jones was the first lawyer in Arkansas to argue that Black people were not allowed to serve on juries. He said this was unfair and against the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court later agreed with this idea in other cases.
Jones also helped Black Shriners in court. Other groups tried to stop them from using the Shriners' name and symbols. Jones won these cases, even taking one to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Elaine Twelve
Jones is most famous for defending the Elaine 12. These were twelve Black sharecroppers sentenced to death. They were accused of being involved in the murder of a white man during the Elaine Massacre in October 1919. The men were found guilty by all-white juries in trials that lasted only about 20 minutes.
News of the Elaine 12 and 87 other Black men sent to prison spread quickly. Several groups offered help, including the NAACP. Jones became the main defense attorney for all 99 men. He worked with George W. Murphy, another lawyer.
When Murphy died, Jones took the lead. He guided the appeals process. He wrote the legal brief used before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1923, the Supreme Court ruled in Moore v. Dempsey that the men had not received fair trials. This was a very important decision for civil rights.
New trials were ordered for the twelve men. Charges were dropped against six of them. The other six were retried and sentenced to twelve years in prison. Jones worked hard to get them released. He convinced Arkansas Governor Thomas McRae to let the men go free in 1925. Before leaving office, Governor McRae also pardoned the other 87 Elaine defendants. This happened just hours before a new governor, who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, took office.
Later Life and Legacy
Scipio Jones continued to be active in politics and fought against racial discrimination in Arkansas. During World War I, he helped raise money for the war effort from the African-American community. He also led the Negro State Suffrage League, fighting for voting rights for Black citizens.
His last case was in 1942. He worked with Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP to sue the Little Rock School District. They wanted Black school teachers to get equal pay. Jones died before the case finished, but Marshall won the case.
Scipio Jones died in Little Rock and is buried there.
Honors and Legacy
- In 1905, he received an honorary doctorate degree.
- Scipio Jones High School in North Little Rock, a high school for Black teenagers, was named after him.
- S.A. Jones Drive in North Little Rock, Arkansas, is named in his honor.
- Jones's house in Little Rock is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
- List of African-American Republicans
- Black conservatism in the United States
