March 7, 2012

In 1896, Daniel W. Jones became the last Civil War veteran elected as the governor of Arkansas. While most of those in power leaned toward forwarding the interests of the aristocratic elite, Jones is regarded by many as being one of the first governors to exhibit progressive leanings in support of the poorer farming class. Reelected in 1898, Jones supported the construction of a new state capitol, laying the building’s cornerstone in November 1900. Jones died in 1918, being buried in a uniform of Confederate gray.