James Addison Jones

Last updated
James Addison Jones
James Addison Jones.tif
Portrait of James Addison Jones in J.A. Jones Library at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina
Born(1869-08-20)August 20, 1869
Farmer, North Carolina, United States
DiedMay 25, 1950(1950-05-25) (aged 80)
North Carolina, United States
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse(s)Mary Jane "Minnie" Hooper
Emma Lockhart Renn
​
​
(m. 1915,died)​

Maude Boren
​
​
(m. 1920,died)​

Rose Walsh
​
(m. 1942)​
Children15
Parents
  • Robert B. Jones (father)
  • Elizabeth Horney Jones (mother)

James Addison Jones, (20 August 1869 - 25 May 1950), was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of J.A. Jones Construction, and supported many organizations such as the Methodist Church, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding areas, regional hospitals and several other companies. He was the benefactor and namesake for the James Addison Jones Library at Greensboro College, and the J.A. Jones Library at Brevard College. His company was also responsible for assisting in the building of the Liberty fleet during World War II. Jones was married four times in his lifetime and had fifteen children.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Early life

Birth and parentage

James Addison Jones was born in Farmer, North Carolina, on August 20, 1869, to Robert B. Jones and Elizabeth Horney Jones (21 August 1839 – 15 June 1872). [1] Jones had multiple siblings in descending order: John, William, Sherman and Emma.

Childhood

Jones was only able to attend school a few months out of the year at a local one-room country school as his duties were on the family farm. It is reported that he did not receive any formal education past the fourth grade. He left home when he was eighteen years old with no money and no formal skills to rely on.

In Lexington, North Carolina, Jones got his first job from Mr. Cecil, a contractor building the first cotton mill in Charlotte, North Carolina, who hired him to drive a wagon, transporting the machine to make bricks [1] Jim was paid twenty-five cents a day with room and board in the construction camp to make bricks. He eventually became the mason’s tender and then promoted to apprentice mason.

Personal history

Marriages

Jones was married four times, losing his first three wives to illness and survived by his final wife. He had fifteen children born to him between three of his wives. Five of his children died before Jones. Twice, he was left alone with infant children, having to hire the assistance of either a nurse or a live in housekeeper.

  1. Mary Jane Hooper "Minnie" Jones met Mary Jane Hooper, known as "Minnie," through church. They had twelve children as follows: Edwin Lee, born 1891, Bobbie who died as an infant, Raymond Allen born 1894, Hannibal Berryman born 1897, Frances Elizabeth born 1900, James Addison Jr. born 1902, Johnie Hooper born 1904, Minnie Beatrice born 1906, William Franklin born 1908, Dorothy May born 1910, Paul Stewart born 1912, and Helen Estelle born 1914.
  2. Emma Lockhart Renn Jones married again in September 1915 to Emma Lockhart Renn, a teacher, and they had two children together, Emma Renn in 1916 and Robert Joseph in 1918. The Jones family reached state and national recognition when they bought $15,000 for the War Savings Club in support of the First World War. It was the single highest donation in the nation. [1]
  3. Maude Boren Jones married Maude Boren in September 1920 and they had one child together, Charles Boren Jones on 12 June 1921.
  4. Rose Walsh At age 72, Jones married Rose Walse on 16 January 1942. They did not have any children. Rose would survive Jones in 1950.

Children

  1. Education: Five of his children (Edwin, Raymond, Minnie B, Dorothy, and Robert) successfully graduated from college
  2. Family business: Three of his sons would go to work in J.A. Jones Construction
    1. Edwin was hired in 1913 and handled administrative duties within the company
    2. Raymond was the assistant superintendent of J.A. Jones
    3. Johnnie was in charge of accounting and office management
  3. Deaths:
    1. Bobbie, died in infancy.
    2. Frances Elizabeth, died of tuberculosis in December 1925
    3. Johnnie, drowned in May 1935
    4. Raymond, died of stroke in May 1950

Later years and death

Jones remained an active man until the last few months of his life. He had medical troubles with colds and influenza in the winter of 1949-1950, which left him in a slightly weakened state. He also suffered from a mild stroke that winter. He continued to go into the office up until the last three days of his life. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 7:46 pm on 20 May 1950 at the age of 80.

Professional life

Jones, a self-taught man, rose those his mason apprenticeship quickly and became a general contractor after his first jobs as a mason. The first building Jones would building was the "dining-car job" which was an addition to the Southern Railway Station. There were many roadblocks to their success as a flood ruined their original wall and Jones only had four workers. He personally helped his workers rebuild the wall, creating a motto that would last his entire career "Finish the Job."

In his early career, he served as the Superintendent of Maintenance-a-way for the Southern Railway, working on repairs from washouts or wrecks and then helping restore the traffic after wrecks. He returned home to Charlotte and started gathering contracts to help build Charlotte's first skyscrapers such as the twelve-story Independence Building, completed in 1909. The company continued its work and had a few contracts during the First World War, finishing all the jobs they were given despite financial troubles and eventually the company became incorporated in 1920. During the Depression, J.A. Jones Construction weathered the storm with government contracts to build a new military air base in the Panama Canal Zone, Albrook Field. Jones went on to gain more government contracts building housing, post offices, military bases, and other projects. One of his more well known projects was the creation of the shipyards in Panama City, Florida and Brunswick, Georgia where the chief product was the Liberty Ships.

The company continued to grow after World War II, maintaining military contracts as well as expanding into other international markets. After a restructuring in 1948, Jones became the chairman of the board while his sons took over as president and executive vice president, the company went into heavy construction and highway work. The company was bought in 1978 by Philipp Holzmann AG, a west German construction company but would remain J.A. Jones construction with family ties until May 1993 when a veteran Charles Davidson would take over as president and CEO.

Interests and philanthropy

Methodist Church

Jones first attended church in Charlotte, and met his future wife, Minnie, at Tyron Street Methodist Church. The J.A. Jones Construction company helped build Dilworth Methodist Church across the street from the Jones' home in Charlotte. In 1927, the company and family help to add a two-story parsonage, then in 1940, they assisted with the building of the J.A. Jones Education Building. Finally, the family helped build the Memorial Chapel, furnishing it as well as a donation of stained glass windows.

Jones served as delegate to five Methodist General Conferences as representative for the Western North Carolina Conference, also the Uniting Conference, and three Jurisdictional Conferences relating to the Methodist Church. He also served on the board of trustees for the Methodist Home for the Aged.

Civic responsibilities

Jones was an active member of his community, serving numerous positions of importance within the city of Charlotte as well as the surrounding areas. He helped save Charlotte from drought as he developed a system to supply the growing city with the amount of water needed, using pipes connecting to the Catawba River rather than relying on artesian wells. He was also on the Board of Commissions for two to three terms around 1930 as well as the executive committee to help oversee department's efficiency in the city of Charlotte. He was an active member of the Y.M.C.A., was on the board of trustees for at least three regional hospitals (Charlotte Memorial, the North Carolina Orthopedic Hospital at Gastonia, and the Elkin Hospital), a member of the Phalanx Lodge of Masonry, a Shriner, and was president of numerous hotel and realty companies (Addison Realty, Skyline Hotel Company, Highlands Hotel Company). Jones also served as the director of the Bank of Commerce and of the Interstate Milling Company and of the Citizens Hotel Company). He also was on the board of trustees at Greensboro College.

Awards and donations

In 1944, he received the Maritime "M", the highest award given by the Maritime Commission for his assistance in World War II with the construction of the Liberty ships, a type of cargo ship. He also received the Army-Navy "E" award, an honor for excellence in production of war equipment.

There are two libraries named after Jones, one at Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and another at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina. The J.A. Jones library at Brevard College was originally built in 1948 with the help of J.A. Jones Construction and was dedicated on 10 April 1948. The cost of the library was approximately $100,000 with a capacity of up to 40,000 volumes. [2] Although, the library has been moved to another building in the 1960s, it kept the J.A. Jones name as well as the portrait originally unveiled at the original library's opening.

Notable works

A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. [3] [4]

Works include (with variations in attribution):

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina</span> U.S. state

North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina and Georgia to the south, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the 28th-largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. At the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388. Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its largest city. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,805,115 in 2023, is the most-populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 22nd-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of 1,509,231 in 2023, is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state and 41st-most populous in the United States, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guilford County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest community, is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point. The county was formed in 1771. Guilford County is included in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensboro College</span> Private college in Greensboro, North Carolina, US

Greensboro College is a private college in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and was founded in 1838 by Rev. Peter Doub. The college enrolls about 1,000 students from 32 states, the District of Columbia, and 29 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett College</span> Historically black womens college in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.

Bennett College is a private historically black liberal arts college for women in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded in 1873 as a normal school to educate freedmen and train both men and women as teachers. Originally coed, in 1926 it became a four-year women's college. It is one of two historically black colleges that enroll only women, the other being Spelman College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Divinity School</span>

The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 regular rank faculty and 15 joint, secondary or adjunct faculty, and, as of 2017, an enrollment of 543 full-time equivalent students. The current dean of the Divinity School is the Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric, who assumed the deanship on Aug. 31, 2021. Former deans include the prominent New Testament scholar Richard B. Hays, who stepped down in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brevard College</span> Private college in Brevard, North Carolina, U.S.

Brevard College is a private college in Brevard, North Carolina. The college grants the Bachelor of Arts. Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degrees.

Ernest A. Fitzgerald was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Sloan (architect)</span> American architect

Samuel Sloan was a Philadelphia-based architect and best-selling author of architecture books in the mid-19th century. He specialized in Italianate villas and country houses, churches, and institutional buildings. His most famous building—the octagonal mansion "Longwood" in Natchez, Mississippi—is unfinished; construction was abandoned during the American Civil War.

The Western North Carolina Conference is an Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This conference serves the western half of the state of North Carolina, with its administrative offices and the office of the bishop being located in Huntersville, North Carolina. It is part of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and his native South Carolina. More than 25 of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J.A. Jones Construction</span> Heavy construction company headquartered in North Carolina

J.A. Jones Construction was a heavy construction company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Operating internationally since the 1950s, it merged with Germany's Philipp Holzmann AG in 1979. In 2003, the company ceased operations due to the failure of its parent company.

Hobart Brown Upjohn (1876–1949) was an American architect, best known for designing a number of ecclesiastical and educational structures in New York and in North Carolina. He also designed a number of significant private homes. His firm produced a total of about 150 projects, a third of which were in North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockwood, Greene & Co.</span> American architectural firm

Lockwood, Greene & Company was an American engineering firm. It was active under various names from 1871 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles C. Wilson (architect)</span> American architect (1864–1933)

Charles C. Wilson was an American architect in practice in Columbia, South Carolina, from 1896 until his death in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Feick</span> American architect

George Feick was a German-American builder in Sandusky and Oberlin, Ohio. His works include the Wyoming State Capitol, multiple buildings at Oberlin College, and numerous office buildings, churches, schools, libraries and residences in and around Sandusky. Several of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

James Mackson McMichael, known as James M. McMichael, was an American architect. Several buildings he designed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Orlo Epps was an American architect, mathematician, physicist, and socialist writer.

Charles Christian Hook (1870–1938) was an American architect. He was also the founder of FreemanWhite, Inc. a Haskell Company (1892), the oldest practicing firm in North Carolina and currently the 11th oldest architecture firm in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warmoth T. Gibbs</span>

Warmoth Thomas Gibbs Sr. was an American educator, retired Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, civil rights activist, and fourth president of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Gibbs was one of the first black commissioned officers in World War I and served as president of then North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College from 1955 to 1960. During his presidency, North Carolina A&T became accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jones Ussery, Minnie B. (December 1960). A Study of The Life of James Addison Jones with Emphasis on Leadership Displayed from A Daughter's Viewpoint. Brevard College. pp. 1–14.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ Craig, Marjorie. "The History of Brevard College and Its Forerunners." 1950-1953. TS, Brevard College, Brevard, NC.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. ↑ Courthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards TR

James Addison Jones at Find a Grave

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.