Ben Jones | |
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![]() Jones in 1989 | |
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Georgia's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 1989 –January 3, 1993 | |
Preceded by | Pat Swindall |
Succeeded by | Don Johnson (Redistricting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Ben Lewis Jones August 30,1941 Tarboro,North Carolina,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Profession | Actor |
Benjamin Lewis Jones (born August 30,1941) is an American actor,politician,playwright,and essayist,best known for his role as Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard . Jones also served for four years in the United States House of Representatives from January 3,1989,to January 3,1993.
Jones was born in Edgecombe County,North Carolina,near McNair's Railroad Crossing,on August 30,1941. His father was Hubert C. "Buck" Jones,a railroad section foreman and his mother was Ila Virginia Stephens,the daughter of a railroad section foreman. Within two weeks of his birth,his family moved to Portsmouth,Virginia. The Joneses lived in a "section house",a railroad company shack without indoor plumbing and electricity. [1] That house was next to the Pinners Point Railyard that led to the shipping piers there. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1959 and worked at a number of odd jobs to save money for college. In 1960 he entered East Carolina College (now East Carolina University) and in 1961 he was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,based upon his promise as a writer. [2] [1]
At Chapel Hill,Jones spent summers with the railroad on a work train that contracted to various railroads throughout the South. In 1962,while at UNC,he began acting with the Carolina Playmakers and was soon earning money at it in "summer stock" and at the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee,North Carolina.
During the 1960s Jones was deeply involved in the Civil rights movement. [1] He was arrested during sit-ins,and was attacked on two occasions by the KKK.
Jones has appeared in over 100 theatrical productions,including stints at the Kennedy Center,the Berkshire Theatre Festival,and numerous regional theaters. He relocated to Atlanta in 1969 and acted there with the Alliance Theatre,the Atlanta Children's Theatre,The Theatre of the Stars,and The Winter Playhouse. He also toured for two years with Eva Marie Saint in national productions of Summer and Smoke and Desire Under the Elms. In Atlanta he appeared in numerous television and radio commercials and began landing supporting roles in films,including Smokey and The Bandit (with Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars &Motor Kings (with James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor) and with Tim Conway in They Went That-A-Way &That-A-Way .
In the mid-1970s,he had a supporting part in an independent film called The Moonrunners,written and directed by Atlantan Gy Waldron and featuring country star Waylon Jennings doing the music and narration. That film was the basis for "The Dukes of Hazzard," which began filming in 1978 about two miles from Jones's then residence in Covington,Georgia. Jones was cast in the role of "Cooter" Davenport,the sidekick mechanic of cousins Bo and Luke Duke. The show immediately rose to the top of the Nielsen ratings. In the days before cable,satellite dishes and the internet,"The Dukes" commonly attracted 40 million viewers weekly on CBS-TV.
Jones continued to live in Georgia and commuted to Los Angeles for the continued filming of "The Dukes." He served as president of the Georgia Branch of the Screen Actors Guild and was appointed chairman of the Georgia Film Commission.
In 1986,he ran for Congress in Georgia's Fourth Congressional District against incumbent Pat Swindall. Although considered a long shot at best,Jones received over 47% of the vote in defeat. [3] He sought a rematch in 1988,after Swindall had been indicted for perjury. Jones won by a 20-point margin [4] and was re-elected in 1990.
In the 101st and 102nd Congresses,he served as a Democratic whip,was a member of the Committee on Veteran's Affairs and a member of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation. After re-districting took his seat,he ran against Newt Gingrich in 1994. He was defeated,but in the course of that race he filed ethics charges against Gingrich alleging that Gingrich had used tax-exempt groups for political purposes. [5] Gingrich was ultimately reprimanded by the House of Representatives and ordered to reimburse the House an amount of $300,000 for the cost of the investigation. [6] One of the last Yellow dog Democrats,Jones is now a political independent. [7]
After moving to Virginia,Jones was the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican incumbent Eric Cantor for Virginia's 7th Congressional District seat in 2002. Jones lost to Cantor. [8] [9] [10]
After serving in Congress,Jones returned to show business and was cast in the role of Arlen Sporkin in director Mike Nichols' "Primary Colors" with John Travolta and Emma Thompson. He also appeared in Meet Joe Black and Joe Gould's Secret,in addition to reprising his role of "Cooter" in two "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion specials.
In 1998,Jones and his wife Alma Viator bought a colonial log cabin and farm in Rappahannock County,Virginia,adjoining the Shenandoah National Park. In 1999,they created a "Dukes of Hazzard" museum and theme store in Sperryville,Virginia,called "Cooter's". It was an immediate success. They now have three such franchises in Pigeon Forge and Nashville,Tennessee,and in Luray,Virginia. Jones and Viator have also produced "Dukes" reunion festivals over the years,including one in Nashville,Tennessee,in 2006 which drew over 100,000 fans from all over the world,which The Tennessean called the largest gathering ever for a "fan" event there. They have continued to keep "Hazzard Nation" growing through their stores,personal appearances and concerts. Jones also tours with Cooter's Garage Band,performing Southern Country/Rock and has recorded 11 CD projects,including 2020's "Play Me an Old Song."
In 2007,Random House published Jones' memoir,Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, a humorous but unsparing account of Jones' adventurous life and his battle with alcoholism. [1] In it he wrote,"I got sober the day before I died."
As a writer,Jones has published fiction and poetry,in addition to political commentary in outlets including The Washington Post , The New York Times , The Boston Globe , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , USA Today ,and many others. He has expressed his "maverick" political views on numerous network and cable outlets over the past 40 years.
In 2015,Jones announced his support of the Confederate battle flag,which can be seen on the exterior top of The Dukes of Hazzard signature car,the General Lee. His defense of the flag served as his response to Warner Bros.' decision to no longer manufacture any merchandise that features the flag,such as the General Lee,and the discontinuation of reruns of the show due to Dylann Roof's infamous reputation associated with the flag. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Though Jones often refers to his Civil Rights activism in the 1960s,quotes Martin Luther King,cites a lifelong membership in the NAACP (an organization that has been fighting against symbols that glorify the Confederacy [16] ),and calls for a dialog between both sides of the Confederate battle flag issue,he dismisses any association between the Confederate battle flag and slavery. He also attributes any association between the Confederate battle flag and slavery to a "wave of political correctness" and calls it a "cultural cleansing." [17]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1972 | Together for Days | Douglas | |
1972 | The Bagel Report | Man with Women's Panties Fetish | |
1975 | Moonrunners | Fred | |
1976 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars &Motor Kings | Plantation Foreman | |
1977 | Smokey and the Bandit | Trucker with the redhead | |
1977 | The Lincoln Conspiracy | Samuel Arnold | |
1978 | They Went That-A-Way &That-A-Way | Lugs | |
1983 | Deep in the Heart | Chuck | |
1984 | On the Line | Texas Lawyer | |
1988 | Dakota | Mr. Dakota | |
1996 | Jack | Mechanic | (part cut from film) |
1998 | Primary Colors | Arlen Sporken | |
2000 | Joe Gould's Secret | Southern Man at the Party | |
2021 | Unbreakable | Ben Jones |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1976 | Movin' On | Thief | Episode:"Living It Up!" |
1977 | Nashville 99 | Calvin Bonner | Episode:"Joldy" |
1978 | The Magical World of Disney | Sgt. Bingham | Episode:"The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance" |
1979–1985 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Cooter / Jeeter | 141 episodes |
1983 | Benji,Zax &the Alien Prince | Various roles | 4 episodes |
1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Emory | Episode:"Travelin' Man" |
1997 | The Dukes of Hazzard:Reunion! | Rep. Cooter Davenport | Television film |
1998 | Sliders | Sgt. Lou Dawson | Episode:"Oh Brother,Where Art Thou?" |
1999 | As the World Turns | Judge Manning | Episode dated January 19,1999 |
2000 | The Dukes of Hazzard:Hazzard in Hollywood | Cooter Davenport | Television film |
2005 | Surface | Grocery Clerk | Episode #1.3 |
Year | Title | Role |
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1999 | The Dukes of Hazzard:Racing for Home | Cooter Davenport |
2004 | The Dukes of Hazzard:Return of the General Lee |
The Confederate States of America (CSA),commonly referred to as the Confederate States (C.S.),the Confederacy,or the South,was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8,1861,to May 9,1865. The Confederacy comprised eleven U.S. states that declared secession and warred against the United States during the American Civil War. The states were South Carolina,Mississippi,Florida,Alabama,Georgia,Louisiana,Texas,Virginia,Arkansas,Tennessee,and North Carolina.
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American action comedy TV series created by Gy Waldron,that was aired on CBS from January 26,1979,to February 8,1985,with a total of seven seasons consisting of 147 episodes. It was consistently among the top-rated television series in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22,1864,just southeast of Atlanta,Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta,Union forces commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John Bell Hood. Union Major General James B. McPherson was killed during the battle,the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action during the war. Despite the implication of finality in its name,the battle occurred midway through the Atlanta campaign,and the city did not fall until September 2,1864,after a Union siege and various attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta. After taking the city,Sherman's troops headed south-southeastward toward Milledgeville,the state capital,and on to Savannah with the March to the Sea.
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars",used from 1861 to 1863;the "Stainless Banner",used from 1863 to 1865;and the "Blood-Stained Banner",used in 1865 shortly before the Confederacy's dissolution. A rejected national flag design was also used as a battle flag by the Confederate Army and featured in the "Stainless Banner" and "Blood-Stained Banner" designs. Although this design was never a national flag,it is the most commonly recognized symbol of the Confederacy.
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was an American career army officer,who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from the United States,he entered the Confederate States Army as one of its most senior general officers. From 1888 to 1889 he was a vice president,from 1889 to 1890 president,of the Aztec Club of 1847.
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. Named for the State of Tennessee,It was formed in the same state in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865,participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater.
The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 American action comedy film loosely based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5,2005,by Warner Bros. Pictures. As in the television series,the film depicts the adventures of cousins Bo,Luke,and Daisy,and their Uncle Jesse,as they outfox crooked Hazzard County Commissioner Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
Thomas Goode Jones was an Alabama lawyer,politician,and military officer. He served in the Alabama legislature and as Governor of Alabama. He later became United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
The Great Locomotive Chase was a military raid that occurred April 12,1862,in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army,led by civilian scout James J. Andrews,commandeered a train,The General,and took it northward toward Chattanooga,Tennessee,doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) line from Atlanta to Chattanooga as they went. They were pursued by Confederate forces at first on foot,and later on a succession of locomotives,including The Texas,for 87 miles (140 km).
Henry Lewis Benning was a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. He also was a lawyer,legislator,and judge on the Georgia Supreme Court. Following the Confederacy's defeat at the end of the war,he returned to his native Georgia,where he lived out the rest of his life. Fort Benning was named in his honor until 2023,when it was redesignated Fort Moore.
Samuel Jones was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. At the midpoint of the war,he commanded the Department of Western Virginia,defending the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and the vital salt mines. Later he commanded the district of South Carolina.
The Boar's Nest is a fictional local restaurant and tavern appearing in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and its various spinoff films and other productions,and the movie Moonrunners.
The Carolinas campaign,also known as the campaign of the Carolinas,was the final campaign conducted by the Union Army against the Confederate Army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. On January 1,Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman advanced north from Savannah,Georgia,through the Carolinas,with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The campaign culminated in the defeat of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army at the Battle of Bentonville,and its unconditional surrender to Union forces on April 26,1865. Coming just two weeks after the defeat of Robert E. Lee's army at the Battle of Appomattox Court House,it signaled that the war was effectively over.
The western theater of the American Civil War encompassed major military operations in the states of Alabama,Georgia,Florida,Mississippi,North Carolina,Kentucky,South Carolina and Tennessee,as well as Louisiana east of the Mississippi River. Operations on the coasts of these states,except for Mobile Bay,are considered part of the Lower Seaboard Theater. Most other operations east of the Appalachian Mountains are part of the eastern theater. Operations west of the Mississippi River took place in the trans-Mississippi theater.
The Dukes of Hazzard:Reunion! is a 1997 American made-for-television action-adventure film,reuniting the surviving cast members of the 1979–1985 television series The Dukes of Hazzard,which originally aired on CBS on April 25,1997. The film was directed by Lewis Teague,written by series creator Gy Waldron,and produced by Ira Marvin and Skip Ward.
Moonrunners is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum,about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series The Dukes of Hazzard,and the two productions share some similarities. Mitchum had co-starred with his father,Robert Mitchum,in the similar drive-in favorite Thunder Road 18 years earlier,which also focused upon moonshine-running bootleggers using fast cars to elude federal agents. Moonrunners,a B movie,was filmed in 1973 and awaited release for over a year. Its soundtrack reflects the outlaw music boom of the 1970s during which the film was released.
Patrick Lynn Swindall was an American politician,attorney,and businessman who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th congressional district,based in Atlanta's eastern suburbs,from 1985 to 1989.
John King Jackson was an American lawyer and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War,mainly in Florida and the Western Theater of the conflict. Afterward Jackson resumed his law practice until dying from pneumonia a year after the war ended.
The General Lee is an orange 1969 Dodge Charger driven in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard by the characters the Duke boys,Bo and Luke,along with cousins Coy and Vance. It is known for its signature horn,its police chases,stunts—especially its long jumps—and for having its doors welded shut,leaving the Dukes to climb in and out through the windows. The car appears in every episode but one. The car's name is a reference to Robert E. Lee,general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It bears a Confederate battle flag on its roof,and also has a horn which plays the first 12 notes of the song "Dixie".
Although the Confederate States of America dissolved at the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865),its battle flag continues to be displayed as a symbol. The modern display began during the 1948 United States presidential election when it was used by the Dixiecrats,southern Democrats that opposed civil rights for African Americans. Further display of the flag was a response to the civil rights movement and the passage of federal civil rights laws in the 1950s and 1960s.