Benjamin F. Jonas
| Benjamin F. Jonas | |
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United States Senator from Louisiana |
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In office March 4, 1879 – March 4, 1885 |
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| Preceded by | James B. Eustis |
| Succeeded by | James B. Eustis |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
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In office 1865-1868 1876-1879 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Benjamin Franklin Jonas July 19, 1834 Williamsport, Kentucky |
| Died | December 21, 1911 (aged 77) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Religion | Judaism |
Benjamin Franklin Jonas (July 19, 1834 – December 21, 1911) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Louisiana and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was the third Jew to serve in the Senate.
He was born in Williamsport, Grant County, Kentucky to Abraham Jonas (1801–64), a merchant and lawyer, and Louisa Block. As a boy, he moved with his parents to Quincy, Illinois, where his father became a Republican state legislator and postmaster, and was acquainted with Abraham Lincoln. (In 1864, Lincoln appointed the widowed Mrs. Jonas postmaster in succession to her late husband.)
Benjamin attended the public schools in Quincy. In 1853, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana; his maternal uncle, Abraham Block, was well-known there, being an important figure in the nearby Red River settlements. He studied law at the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University). In 1855, he graduated, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in New Orleans.
Despite his family's strong Republican connections, Benjamin Jonas cast his lot with the South in the Civil War. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate States Army. He served till the end of the war, rising to the rank of major.
After the war, he returned to New Orleans and became active in state politics as a Democrat. In 1865, he was elected to the state House of Representatives, and served until 1868.
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