Jones, J. (John) Marvin

(1882-1976)

   Born in Texas, John Jones graduated from Southwestern University in 1905 and the University of Texas Law School in 1908. He practiced law in Amarillo, Texas, and was elected to the federal House of Representatives in 1917. He briefly served in the tanks corps during World War I but did not see service overseas. He served in Congress until his retirement in 1940, and he was of considerable influence in the House Committee on Agriculture from 1921 onward. He became chair of the committee in 1931 and was responsible for supporting and sponsoring much of the New Deal’s legislation relating to agriculture, including the Agricultural Adjustment Act and amendments to it in 1934 and the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenancy Act. In 1940, Jones was appointed to the U.S. Court of Claims, and in 1943 he became head of the War Food Administration responsible for the production and distribution of foodstuffs. He returned to the Court of Claims in 1945 and became chief judge in 1947, a position he held until 1964.