Penn Jones Jr.

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Penn Jones Jr.
Born
William Penn Jones Jr.

(1914-10-14)October 14, 1914
Lane's Chapel,
newspaper editor
, author

William Penn Jones Jr. (October 14, 1914 – January 25, 1998) was an American journalist, the editor of the Midlothian Mirror and author. He was also one of the earliest John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorists.[1]

Early life and education

Jones was born in Lane's Chapel,

sharecropper, and his wife Gussie Earline Jones (née Browning).[2][3] Three of his siblings died in infancy. The family later bought a farm in Annona, Texas. After graduating from Clarksville High School in 1932, Jones attended Magnolia A&M Junior College for less than two years.[2][3]

In 1935, he transferred to the

District Attorney in Dallas while Connolly would later become the 39th Governor of Texas. Both men were figures in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In 1940, Jones dropped out of college later admitting that the coursework was too difficult.[4]

Career

Military service

In 1933, Jones joined the

Brigadier General.[5]

Publishing

In 1946, Jones purchased the Midlothian Mirror for $4,000; he eventually sold the newspaper in 1974.[1] In 1963, Penn received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism.[6][1][7] Hugh Aynesworth was among those who nominated Jones for the award.[1]

Assassination research

External audio
audio icon Interview with William O'Connell (September 26, 1966).
Pacifica Radio Archive. Introduction by James DiEugenio.
audio icon Interview with Mae Brussell (February 24, 1975). Dialogue: Conspiracy, no. 185.

Jones was known for being an early critic of the Warren Commission's report on the assassination of John F. Kennedy and for alleging that 150 people connected to the assassination may have died under mysterious circumstances.[8]

In 1967, he self-published Forgive My Grief, a four-volume work on the assassination of President Kennedy.[1][7] In the 1980s, Jones co-edited The Continuing Inquiry newsletter with Gary Mack of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.[1] As Mack would later recall, "Penn was one of the first generation of researchers who felt the government was behind the assassination."[9]

In 1981, Jones stated that he believed nine men, flown into Dallas from Oklahoma, each fired one bullet at Kennedy.[10] He said the fatal headshot to Kennedy was fired from a manhole on Elm Street in Dealey Plaza.[11]

Personal life

Jones was married twice and had two children. He married first wife Louise Angove in July 1941. They had two sons: Penn Jones III (born in 1944) and Michael (born in 1948). They divorced in 1983. That same year, Jones married Elaine Kavanaugh. They remained married until Jones' death.[2]

Death

On January 25, 1998, Jones died of Alzheimer's disease in an Alvarado, Texas nursing home at the age of 83.[1] His funeral was held at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waxahachie, Texas.[2]

He is survived by his wife and two sons, a brother, Douglas Jones, a sister, Ruby Nell Peek, and two grandchildren.[12]

In the media

Jones appeared as himself in Mark Lane's 1976 documentary film, Two Men in Dallas. He introduces the viewer to the subject of the movie, Dallas policeman and assassination witness Roger Craig.

Bibliography

Books

Preface by John Howard Griffin.
"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy."
"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy."
"Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy."

Book contributions

Periodicals

Weekly newspaper serving Midlothian, Texas.
Monthly newsletter exploring the
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Book reviews

Articles

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Schlacter, Barry (January 28, 1998). "Penn Jones, JFK theorist, editor" (obituary). Fort Worth Star-Telegram [Fort Worth, Texas]. Sec. B, p. 9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jones, Michael (May 2012). "About Penn Jones." baylor.edu. Archived from the original.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0916727321
    .
  4. ^ a b Kelin 2007 p.104
  5. ^ Associated Press (July 16, 1963). "Midlothian Paper Editor Given Award." Corsicana Daily Sun. p. 13.
  6. ^ Staff writer (July 16, 1963). "Texan Cited for Courage by Editors." Fort Worth Star-Telegram [Fort Worth, Texas]. p. 7.
  7. ^
    Tuscaloosa News
    [Tuscaloosa-Northport, Alabama]. p. 13. Accessed May 15, 2013.
  8. ^ "JFK Bibliography." Fair Play Magazine, no. 1 (November/December 1994) p. 27.
  9. ^ "JFK–Penn Jones Collection." Baylor University Digital Collections. Accessed June 11, 2021. Archived from the original.
  10. Milwaukee Journal
    . p. 5. Accessed June 15, 2015.
  11. ISSN 0148-7736. Google Books. Accessed June 6, 2017. Archived from the original.
  12. ProQuest 283431670
    .

Further reading

External links
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