Jones, John(1816–1879) - Chronology

black elected illinois convention

1816

Born free in Greene County, North Carolina on November 3

1844

Marries Mary Jane Richardson; files for certificate of freedom

1845

Relocates to Chicago with wife and child; opens tailoring shop

1847

Appeals to Illinois State Constitutional Convention for repeal of Black Laws

1848

Elected delegate to Colored National Convention

1850

Attends black rally at Quinn Chapel; appointed to resolutions committee; helps set up vigilance committee to monitor whites’ actions toward blacks; circulates petition to repeal Illinois Black Laws

1853

Elected a vice president of the Colored National Convention; elected president of first Black Illinois State Convention

1861

Helps to found Olivet Baptist Church

1864

Publishes pamphlet, The Black Laws of Illinois and a Few Reasons Why They Should Be Repealed

1871

Loses some of his wealth in the great Chicago fire; becomes first black elected a Cook County commissioner

1872

Re-elected a commissioner for three-year term

1874

Begins successful fight to dismantle segregated schools

1879

Dies in Chicago on May 21

Additional Topics

Activist, politician, tailor, entrepreneur

A former slave who learned the trade of tailoring, John Jones made his mark in Chicago; he arrived in the city almost penniless and amassed a fortune to become one of black America?s wealthiest entrepreneurs. His Chicago home was a station on the Underground Railroad, as he helped runaway slaves who were en route to Canada. He held political office and participated in the black convention movement…

Protests Illinois Black Laws

John Jones bitterly opposed Black Laws, calling them the reason for poverty among blacks. Obsessive fear of slave insurrections led many states to adopt Black Laws early on. Illinois Black Laws were adopted in 1819 and made it clear that blacks had no legal rights. They could neither sue nor be sued; they could testify against another slave or a free black but never against whites; they could own …

Repeal of the Black Laws

The Illinois General Assembly seemed ready to repeal the Black Laws in January 1865. Outgoing governor, Richard Yates, who had resigned to become a United States senator, urged the legislature to remove the laws from the statute as quickly as possible. He was one the few whites in the legislature who had always found slavery abominable. In 1864 Yates openly stated that he favored the abolition of …

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