Summary Information
William A. Jones Papers
1873, 1892-1911
- Jones, William A. (William Arthur), 1844-1912
Mss 495
2.4 c.f. (6 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of William A. Jones, U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1897-1905. Included is correspondence, some with Theodore Roosevelt; reports on reservation conditions, materials on the 1902-1904 special investigations involving land leasing controversies at the Standing Rock Reservation (North and South Dakota) and the Uinta and Uncompahgre Reservations (Utah), travel notebooks, and other documentation of Indian affairs; and a few personal papers relating to Jones' political activities and work for the Mineral Point Zinc Company, New Jersey Zinc Company, First National Bank of Mineral Point, and the Mineral Point and Northern Railroad.
There is a photographic component of this collection which is cataloged and described separately.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00495 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
William Arthur Jones was born in Wales, Great Britain, but moved with his parents, John and Phoebe Jones, to a Wisconsin farm in 1851. Jones attended common schools and received a degree in 1872 from Platteville Normal School. After teaching for several years and acting as principal of Mineral Point High School, Jones was elected superintendent of Iowa County schools in 1877 and served in that position for four years. At some time in his early career he also studied law; however, he never went into practice.
In 1881, Jones left teaching for banking and in 1884, he and several others formed the First National Bank of Mineral Point where he served as cashier and later as vice president. Jones and his brothers bought the stock of the Mineral Point Zinc Company in 1883, and with reorganization in 1884, Jones became secretary and treasurer of the company. The zinc company merged with a nationwide corporation, the New Jersey Zinc Company, in 1897 to become one of the largest zinc producers in the United States.
In 1897, Jones resigned his positions in both the bank and the zinc company when appointed United States Commissioner of Indian Affairs by President William McKinley. He had been involved in politics, serving in the Wisconsin Assembly from 1894 to 1897, and had helped in McKinley's election campaign. After serving under McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, Jones resigned on January 1, 1905. He then returned to Mineral Point as president of the Mineral Point and Northern Railroad and as western manager of the New Jersey Zinc Company, until his death in September 1912.
Scope and Content Note
These papers largely relate to Jones' career as U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1897-1904. They illustrate the changing policy of the government toward Indians, the social attitudes that dominated that policy, and the evolving system of civil service criteria for appointments within the department.
The PERSONAL PAPERS, 1897-1911, include some biographical information on Jones; papers relating to his private business, particularly the Mineral Point Zinc Company; newspaper clippings on events during his term as commissioner; and honors, certificates, and other personal mementos.
The CORRESPONDENCE files, 1873-1911, include twelve letterpress books of outgoing correspondence files, one unbound file of letters written by Jones as commissioner, and incoming correspondence. The letterpress books are indexed by name of correspondent. The subjects of these letters include policy questions, complaints and reports on conditions and employees from the various reservations, interdepartmental correspondence, letters of recommendation and appointments, and general information on Indians and the operation of their reservations. Copies of four letters from Theodore Roosevelt, dated September 3, 1903, December 12 and 22, 1903, and December 23, 1904, are included in the incoming correspondence. (The originals of these letters were also received and have been placed in the vault.)
The SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS FILES, 1902-1904, involve two cases of land leasing controversies that were under scrutiny during Jones' service as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The Standing Rock Reservation (North and South Dakota) controversy involved leasing grazing lands to area farmers without Indian permission. The files include an article by George Kennan that appeared in The Outlook stirring the controversy, and both drafts and final copy of Jones' replies to the charges; records of congressional hearings and transcripts of tribal council meetings; reports on the commission's policy; newspaper articles reporting the debate; and related correspondence, including letters from President Theodore Roosevelt. The less controversial records of the investigation of mineral leasing in Uinta and Uncompahgre Indian Reservations in Utah contain reports on the gilsonite mineral deposits, department policy reports, and records of congressional hearings. Maps of both reservations are available in the Historical Society's Map collection (see separations listings). Originals of T. Roosevelt letters are in the vault.
The REPORTS AND HEARINGS series, 1897-1905, contains information on the development of policies and the rulings on internal regulations. It includes reports on legislation and information sent to congressional committees, investigations of complaints on personnel and hearings of Indian claims, and official reports of policy on education, lands, finance, and the general goals of Indian policy.
The TRAVEL NOTEBOOKS contain notes of interviews with Indians by Jones as he traveled to various reservations, and the PUBLICATION, which describes land annexation and Indian policy historically, is Jones' personal copy of The Louisiana Purchase and Our Title West of the Rocky Mountains with a Review of Annexation by the United States by Binger Hermann (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1898).
Related Material
For further biographical details see William Arthur Jones, Field Continuity Notes (WPA biographies) (Wis Mss MM).
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Robert Neal, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, 1978. Accession Number: M78-587
Processed by Mary C. Neth and Joanne Hohler, November 1979.
Contents List
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Series: Personal Papers, 1897-1911
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Series: Correspondence
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Outgoing
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1897, December - 1909, June
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Box
1
Folder
3-5
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Letterpress Books, 1897, April 28 - 1902, January 2; , 1902, June and September (scattered letters); , 1904, June 10-August 25
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Box
2
Folder
1-4
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1902, January 2 - 1903, March 12
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Box
3
Folder
1-4
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1903, March 12 - 1904, September 1
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Box
4
Folder
1
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1904, October 8 - 1906, February 28
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Incoming
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Box
4
Folder
2-8
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1873, 1892-1902, April
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Box
5
Folder
1-7
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1902, May - 1911, May
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Series: Special Investigations, 1902-1904
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Box
5
Folder
8-9
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Standing Rock Reservation land leasing controversy
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Box
6
Folder
1
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Mineral leasing on Utah reservations
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Series: Reports and Hearings, 1897-1905
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Legislation and congressional committees
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Personnel statements and Indian claims
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Box
6
Folder
4-5
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Indian Affairs policies, education, lands, finance, and general
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Series: Travel Notebooks & Publication
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Indian interviews and The Louisiana Purchase and Our Title West of the Rocky Mountains by Binger Hermann
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