fbpx
Wikipedia

Penn Jones Jr.

April 18, 2024

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]

Penn Jones Jr.
Born
William Penn Jones Jr.

(1914-10-14)October 14, 1914
Lane's Chapel, Texas, United States
DiedJanuary 25, 1998(1998-01-25) (aged 83)
Alvarado, Texas, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationClarksville High School
Alma materMagnolia Junior College
University of Texas at Austin
Occupation(s)Journalist, newspaper editor, author

Early life and education edit

Jones was born in Lane's Chapel, Texas.[2] He was one of eight children born to William Penn Jones, a 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 University of Texas at Austin. It was there that Jones met an economic professor who he later credited with for influencing him to become a liberal. While at UT, Jones took law classes with classmates Henry Wade and John Connally. Wade later become 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 edit

Military service edit

In 1933, Jones joined the Texas National Guard. In October 1940, he was called to active duty to fight in World War II.[4] He served in 36th Infantry Division in the European theater of World War II.[2] He retired from the Guard in 1963 upon which Texas governor John Connally promoted him to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General.[5]

Publishing edit

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 edit

External audio
  Interview with William O'Connell (September 26, 1966). KPFK. Los Angeles: Pacifica Radio Archive. Introduction by James DiEugenio.
  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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

Books

  • Forgive My Grief I. Midlothian, Tex.: Midlothian Mirror (1966). ISBN 0686212509.
Preface by John Howard Griffin.
  • Forgive My Grief II. Midlothian, Tex.: Midlothian Mirror (1967). ISBN 0686912802.
"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

  • "Editorials from the Midlothian Mirror." In: Welsh, David (editor). In the Shadow of Dallas: A Primer on the Assassination of President Kennedy. San Francisco: Ramparts (1967): 29–49.

Periodicals

Weekly newspaper serving Midlothian, Texas.
  • The Continuing Inquiry (1976–1984).
Monthly newsletter exploring the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Book reviews

  • Review of Aphrodite: Desperate Mission by Jack Olsen. Continuing Inquiry, vol. 2, no. 11 (June 22, 1978): 1–5.
  • Review of The Advance Man: An Off-beat Look at What Really Happens in Political Campaigns by Jerry Bruno and Jeff Greenfield. Continuing Inquiry, vol. 2, no. 11 (June 22, 1978): 8, 13.

Articles

  • "The Purloined Letter (With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 3 (October 22, 1976): 1–2.
  • "Little Philosophy." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 3 (October 22, 1976): 13–15.
  • "If They're Serious." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 11.
  • "For Starters." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 11.
  • "A Little Philosophy (Continued from October issue)." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 4 (November 22, 1976): 13–14.
  • "Sorensen, Director of Intelligence ???" Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 6 (January 22, 1977): 2–4.
  • "November 22, 1963: Death of a Secret Service Agent?" with Gary Shaw. Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 6 (January 22, 1977): 4–6.
  • "The 'New' Oswald Letter." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 7 (February 22, 1977): 9–10.
  • "Instructing a Witness." Continuing Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 7 (February 22, 1977): 13–14.
  • "Disappearing Witnesses." The Rebel (magazine), vol. 1, no. 1 (November 22, 1983): 36–43.

References edit

  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. ^ a b Kelin, John (2007). Praise from a Future Generation: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy and the First Generation Critics of the Warren Report. Foreword by H.C. Nash. Wings Press. p. 103. 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. ^ a b Washington Post (November 7, 1966). "Articles Take Up JFK 'Conspiracy'." 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. ^ Carmichael, Dan (October 27, 1981). "Despite autopsy, Oswald theories live." Milwaukee Journal. p. 5. Accessed June 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Rosenbaum, Ron (November 1983). "Still on the Case." Texas Monthly [Austin, Texas], vol. 11, no. 11. ISSN 0148-7736. Google Books. Accessed June 6, 2017. Archived from the original.
  12. ^ Simnacher, Joe (January 30, 1998). "Rites Set Saturday for Assassination Researcher William Penn Jones, 83." Dallas Morning News. p. 32A. ProQuest 283431670.

Further reading edit

  • Hetherly, Van (July 26, 1964). "Penn Jones: Texas' Toughest Country Editor." Houston Chronicle [Texas Magazine]. pp. 4–6, +.
  • Staff writer (November 1966). "The Mythmakers." TIME, vol. 88, no. 20, pp. 33–34.
  • Wrone, David R. (Autumn 1972). "The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: An Annotated Bibliography." Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 21–36. JSTOR 4634762.
  • Nash, H.C. (1977). Citizen's Arrest: The Dissent of Penn Jones Jr. in the Assassination of JFK. Latitudes Press. OCLC 4441488.
  • Cloward, Tim (September 22, 2013). "Conspiracy-A-Go-Go: Dallas at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Assassination." Southwest Review, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 407–436. JSTOR 43473316.

External links edit

April 18, 2024
penn, jones, william, october, 1914, january, 1998, american, journalist, editor, midlothian, mirror, author, also, earliest, john, kennedy, assassination, conspiracy, theorists, bornwilliam, 1914, october, 1914lane, chapel, texas, united, statesdiedjanuary, 1. 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 Penn Jones Jr BornWilliam Penn Jones Jr 1914 10 14 October 14 1914Lane s Chapel Texas United StatesDiedJanuary 25 1998 1998 01 25 aged 83 Alvarado Texas United StatesNationalityAmericanEducationClarksville High SchoolAlma materMagnolia Junior CollegeUniversity of Texas at AustinOccupation s Journalist newspaper editor author Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Military service 2 2 Publishing 2 3 Assassination research 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 In the media 6 Bibliography 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEarly life and education editJones was born in Lane s Chapel Texas 2 He was one of eight children born to William Penn Jones a sharecropper and his wife Gussie Earline Jones nee 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 amp M Junior College for less than two years 2 3 In 1935 he transferred to the University of Texas at Austin It was there that Jones met an economic professor who he later credited with for influencing him to become a liberal While at UT Jones took law classes with classmates Henry Wade and John Connally Wade later become 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 editMilitary service edit In 1933 Jones joined the Texas National Guard In October 1940 he was called to active duty to fight in World War II 4 He served in 36th Infantry Division in the European theater of World War II 2 He retired from the Guard in 1963 upon which Texas governor John Connally promoted him to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General 5 Publishing edit 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 edit External audio nbsp Interview with William O Connell September 26 1966 KPFK Los Angeles Pacifica Radio Archive Introduction by James DiEugenio nbsp 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 editJones 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 editOn 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 editJones 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 editBooks Forgive My Grief I Midlothian Tex Midlothian Mirror 1966 ISBN 0686212509 Preface by John Howard Griffin dd Forgive My Grief II Midlothian Tex Midlothian Mirror 1967 ISBN 0686912802 Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F Kennedy dd Forgive My Grief III Midlothian Tex Midlothian Mirror 1969 OCLC 220392096 Reprinted with addendum January 1976 Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F Kennedy dd Forgive My Grief IV Midlothian Tex Penn Jones Jr 1974 OCLC 867741583 Further Critical Review of the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of President John F Kennedy dd Book contributions Editorials from the Midlothian Mirror In Welsh David editor In the Shadow of Dallas A Primer on the Assassination of President Kennedy San Francisco Ramparts 1967 29 49 Periodicals Midlothian Mirror 1974 1963 Weekly newspaper serving Midlothian Texas dd The Continuing Inquiry 1976 1984 Monthly newsletter exploring the assassinations of John F Kennedy Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr dd Book reviews Review of Aphrodite Desperate Mission by Jack Olsen Continuing Inquiry vol 2 no 11 June 22 1978 1 5 Review of The Advance Man An Off beat Look at What Really Happens in Political Campaigns by Jerry Bruno and Jeff Greenfield Continuing Inquiry vol 2 no 11 June 22 1978 8 13 Articles The Purloined Letter With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 3 October 22 1976 1 2 Little Philosophy Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 3 October 22 1976 13 15 If They re Serious Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 4 November 22 1976 11 For Starters Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 4 November 22 1976 11 A Little Philosophy Continued from October issue Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 4 November 22 1976 13 14 Sorensen Director of Intelligence Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 6 January 22 1977 2 4 November 22 1963 Death of a Secret Service Agent with Gary Shaw Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 6 January 22 1977 4 6 The New Oswald Letter Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 7 February 22 1977 9 10 Instructing a Witness Continuing Inquiry vol 1 no 7 February 22 1977 13 14 Disappearing Witnesses The Rebel magazine vol 1 no 1 November 22 1983 36 43 References edit 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 a b c d e f Jones Michael May 2012 About Penn Jones baylor edu Archived from the original a b Kelin John 2007 Praise from a Future Generation The Assassination of John F Kennedy and the First Generation Critics of the Warren Report Foreword by H C Nash Wings Press p 103 ISBN 978 0916727321 a b Kelin 2007 p 104 Associated Press July 16 1963 Midlothian Paper Editor Given Award Corsicana Daily Sun p 13 Staff writer July 16 1963 Texan Cited for Courage by Editors Fort Worth Star Telegram Fort Worth Texas p 7 a b Washington Post November 7 1966 Articles Take Up JFK Conspiracy Tuscaloosa News Tuscaloosa Northport Alabama p 13 Accessed May 15 2013 JFK Bibliography Fair Play Magazine no 1 November December 1994 p 27 JFK Penn Jones Collection Baylor University Digital Collections Accessed June 11 2021 Archived from the original Carmichael Dan October 27 1981 Despite autopsy Oswald theories live Milwaukee Journal p 5 Accessed June 15 2015 Rosenbaum Ron November 1983 Still on the Case Texas Monthly Austin Texas vol 11 no 11 ISSN 0148 7736 Google Books Accessed June 6 2017 Archived from the original Simnacher Joe January 30 1998 Rites Set Saturday for Assassination Researcher William Penn Jones 83 Dallas Morning News p 32A ProQuest 283431670 Further reading editHetherly Van July 26 1964 Penn Jones Texas Toughest Country Editor Houston Chronicle Texas Magazine pp 4 6 Staff writer November 1966 The Mythmakers TIME vol 88 no 20 pp 33 34 Wrone David R Autumn 1972 The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy An Annotated Bibliography Wisconsin Magazine of History vol 56 no 1 pp 21 36 JSTOR 4634762 Nash H C 1977 Citizen s Arrest The Dissent of Penn Jones Jr in the Assassination of JFK Latitudes Press OCLC 4441488 Cloward Tim September 22 2013 Conspiracy A Go Go Dallas at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Assassination Southwest Review vol 98 no 4 pp 407 436 JSTOR 43473316 External links editPenn Jones Jr at IMDb FBI files at Internet Archive William Penn Jones Jr at Spartacus Educational Penn Jones Collection at the W R Poage Legislative Library via Baylor University Correspondence at the Harold Weisberg Collection via Internet Archive Selected articles from the Midlothian Review at the Harold Weisberg Collection via Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Penn Jones Jr amp oldid 1218992172, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.