John Walter Jones

JONES, LL.D., D.C.L., M.A., HONOURABLE JOHN WALTER farmer, scientist, and teacher; b. 14 April 1878 in Pownal, son of James Benjamin Jones and Maria Isabel Stewart; m. 23 December1909 Katherine Francis Bovyer of Bunbury, and they had five children, Lois, Vimy, Flelen, Bovyer, Bernard ("Bus"), and another son who died in infancy; Baptist; d. 31 March 1954 in Ottawa. Jones, first a Farmer-Progressive, and later a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1935 for 4th Queens. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1939, 1943, 1947, and 1951. On 11 May 1943, he became premier, when Thane A. Campbell* resigned to become Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island. He continued in the position until 25 May 1953. In 1943 Jones served as Minister of Public Welfare and Minister in Charge of Air Raid Precautions. On 31 January 1944, he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Agriculture, which he held until 28 February 1945. He was also Minister of Education until February 1950. At that time, Jones served in the capacity of Minister of Reconstruction from 28 February 1945 to January 1949, at which time he became Provincial Secretary-Treasurer. He served in this office until February 1950. From February to December of that year, he held the Ministry of Public Works and Highways. In December 1951 he commenced his second term as Minister of Education and continued in the office until his appointment to the Senate on 19 May 1953. In 1920, before joining the Liberals, he was elected secretary- treasurer of the United Farmers of Prince Edward Island. He was nominated as a Farmer-Progressive candidate for Queen's for the 1921 federal election, but was defeated. Jones was only the second farmer to become premier, and his unceasing commitment to the value of agriculture and rural life in the province made him popular with rural voters. He was known for his flamboyant style, snap decisions, and sometimes autocratic manner. In 1948 Jones, who opposed Prohibition, shifted control of the Island's liquor supplies into the hands of government. Although Jones became premier when North America was enjoying the post-war economic boom based on industrialization and modernization, he did not get elected expounding the virtues of industrial development in the province. He was a champion of the agricultural community and this was best demonstrated in his determined tactics during the 1947 packinghouse strike at Davis and Fraser, which later became Canada Packers. When workers walked off the job in a dispute, it left farmers without means to market their hogs. Jones took over the plant and hired non-union workers to get production going again. He even had his government approve a short-lived anti-union bill. He felt that the heart of the province was in its agricultural areas and he was capable of diminishing the importance of urban areas. In one of his most often quoted statements on the important role rural Islanders played, he stated that "...If the farmers all go foolish like the people in the towns, good-bye Prince Edward Island." Jones' commitment to dairyfarmers was best demonstrated when he banned the sale of margarine, despite the tact that it was cheaper for the consumer than butter. Jones realized the importance of modern improvements and believed that some modern conveniences would be beneficial to agriculture in the province. Through increased funding from the federal government brought on by the new interventionist economy spawned by the Second World War, he was able to make improvements in the province. Jones instituted rural electrification programs, provincial soil analysis and veterinary services were improved, and a forestry program was established. Under Jones, the Beach Grove Inn was converted into a senior citizens' home. The Trans- Canada Highway was paved from "ferry to ferry," and was paid for largely by the federal government. "Farmer" Jones received his primary education in Pownal. In 1897 he entered Prince of Wales College and obtained a teaching certificate. Following graduation, Jones taught school for three years. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts at Acadia University in 1904. From 1905 to 1907, he was the first principal of MacDonald Consolidated School. In 1909 he graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. Later, as a result of being awarded a fellowship, Jones studied at Chicago, Clark, Columbia, and Cornell Universities. In 1910 he taught agriculture at the Hampton Agriculture Institute in Hampton, Virginia. From 1911 to 1912, he worked for the United States government in the Department of Agriculture as associate superintendent and, soon after, as superintendent of an experimental farm in Arlington. At this time, the facility was the largest of its kind in the world. Jones specialized in experimental technology. While in the United States, Jones remained in contact with Island farmers and convinced many that the seed potato market was expanding and that the Island should jump on the bandwagon. He also extolled the virtues of the Island seed potato to American farmers, and as a result was instrumental in the formation of the Island seed potato industry. From 1912 to 1913, Jones was employed by the Federal Commission of Conservation in Canada. While working for the Commission, he wrote a report entitled Fur Farming in Canada. Published in 1913, it became a world-wide reference book on fur farming. A year previous, Jones had published another work on fur farming in cooperation with Island fox rancher B. I. Rayner. This was an educational pamphlet titled The Domestication of the Fox. In 1914 Jones graduated from Acadia University with a Master of Arts degree. Ca. 1914 Jones took over his father-in-law's farm in Bunbury and began mixed farming and fox ranching. He imported cattle and developed the famous Abegweit herd. His dairy cows won many awards and one cow set a world record for butter fat production. In 1931 Jones won the coveted Master Breeder's Award from the Holstein- Friesian Association. He was the first individual ever to win, as previously the award had gone to large companies that specialized in breeding. In 1932 Jones was the highest winner at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and second-highest winner at the Canadian National Exhibition. Three years later, he was awarded the King George V Medal for being the best farmer in Prince Edward Island, and the King's Jubilee Medal for his outstanding contribution to farming. Jones received an honourary Doctor of Civil Law degree from Acadia in 1951. In 1962 he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame. He was dubbed the first "Master Breeder of Holsteins in Canada." Jones also played a key role in the fur farming industry in the Province. In 1929 he became the first president and a charter member of the Silver Fox Exhibitor's Association of Prince Edward Island. From 1937 to 1938, he worked for the Dominion Department of Agriculture to ascertain what the department might do to improve the fox industry. In 1898 Jones joined the Abegweit Amateur Athletic Association and participated in many track and field events. He set a Maritime record for the hammer throw. While at the University of Toronto he tied for the all-round track and field championship and set Canadian college records in the 16-pound hammer throw and the 16-pound shot. At Acadia, Jones was captain of the rugby and track-and-field teams. He became the first Islander picked for a national team when he was selected to an All-Canadian rugby team that was to tour Europe, but he declined the invitation. Jones served on the executive of the Abegweit Club after he retired from competition. He was elected to the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. J. Walter Jones died 31 March 1954 in his office at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Katherine Jones was the daughter of Franklin Bovyer and Theresa Jane Baker.