John Jones (county commissioner)
John Jones was an African American freedman who settled in Alton, Illinois and then Chicago where he opened a tailoring shop and became a leading campaigner for the rights of African Americans. He eventually became an elected official.
Jones was born in Greene County, North Carolina. He was a leading activist against Black Laws, discrimination, segregation, and for suffrage and civil rights. He was a civic leader, political appointee, and one of the first elected African American officials in Chicago: he was elected elected a Cook County commissioner in 1871, and re-elected for a three-year term in 1872.
The Chicago Museum of History has a photograph of Jones as well as a painted portrait by Aaron E. Darling of Jones. The museum also has a painted portrait of his wife by the same artist. The site of their house is a city landmark.
