Ulysses Jones (1951-2010)
He was automatically against anything identified as Conservative.
But we have some of the same friends and ended up in some of the same forums politically. RIP my good man.
posted by Common at
6:55 PM
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
He was automatically against anything identified as Conservative.
But we have some of the same friends and ended up in some of the same forums politically. RIP my good man.
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- Name: Common
- Location: Memphis, TN., United States
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Rep. Ulysses Jones dies at age 59; was tireless defender of Memphis area
State Rep. Ulysses Jones, who represented his Memphis district for more than two decades and last week won re-election unopposed, died Tuesday at age 59.
A firefighter who climbed to the rank of battalion chief in 37 years with the Memphis Fire Department, Jones was one of the paramedics who answered the call to Graceland when Elvis Presley died in 1977.
"We're going to miss Ulysses for a number of different reasons," said Rep. Larry Miller, a fellow Memphis Democrat.
Jones died in the early morning hours at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, said James L. Gray, funeral director for Hardeman County Funeral Services in Bolivar, Tenn.
Gray, who grew up in the same North Memphis neighborhood as Jones, said the family called him at about 2 a.m. A family member said Jones died from complications of pneumonia, Gray said.
Jones defeated a seven-term incumbent to become a member of the state House in 1987 representing District 98, which stretches from the North Memphis area into Raleigh.
He was a tireless advocate for and defender of Memphis in a legislature where the city's interests were often under attack.
As Democrats ruled the General Assembly until 2008, Jones served for a dozen years as chairman of the powerful State and Local Government Committee, through which all legislation affecting city and county governments, as well as the powers of the state government, passed before reaching the floor.
Miller pointed to Jones' forceful opposition in 1997 to "toy town" legislation that threatened traditional annexation law in the state. The Tennessee Education Lottery, education, economic development and equal pay were among other issues Jones pushed for, legislators said.
"He was able to influence and persuade, even when you disagreed with him," Miller said.
"He was always willing to sit down and talk and meet about any issue," said Rep. Curry Todd, the Collierville Republican who replaced Jones as chairman of the State and Local Government Committee.
Memphis Mayor AC Wharton said in a statement Tuesday that Jones "was a fighter and a negotiator, willing to wear whatever hat was needed to get the job done."
Jones was also known for his strong opinions.
In April, House Speaker Kent Williams threatened to remove him and a Republican legislator from the House floor after a heated exchange about local taxes for special school districts.
In June, Jones waged a successful floor fight against a Republican effort to end a state-sponsored minority college scholarship program for students who want to become teachers.
He was not afraid of engaging in sometimes caustic debates on the House floor, particularly when he thought the interests of Memphis, or poor or working people, were under attack.
"He could be your bear -- it was up to you whether you got the grizzly bear or the teddy bear," said Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, chairman of Shelby County's legislative delegation.
A father of two and a graduate of Northside High School who attended the University of Memphis and Tennessee State University, Jones also was first vice president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
"Ulysses was a quiet giant in our community, probably one of the few people who walked softly and carried a big stick," said Shep Wilbun, a former member of the Memphis City Council and County Commission and former Juvenile Court clerk. "He didn't really get this ego thing like so many in politics do and have.
"He was himself."
Gray said funeral arrangements were incomplete and that R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home in Memphis will handle the arrangements.
The death of state Rep. Ulysses Jones leaves District 98, stretching from North Memphis into Raleigh, without a representative.
State county and election officials say the Shelby County Commission may choose to appoint someone in the interim.
The commission made a similar appointment in January when it picked Johnnie Turner to replace her late husband, Larry, as representative of state House District 85. Johnnie Turner went on to win a four-year term to the post earlier this month.
Gov. Phil Bredesen will be given a timetable to call for a special election, including a primary and a general election, to fill the seat.
However, Richard Holden, administrator of elections for the Shelby County Election Commission, said questions arise for state officials about whether the governor should call for a special election now or wait until Jones was scheduled to begin a new two-year term in January. He won re-election on Nov. 2.
Otis L. Sanford: Jones' example good for Justin Ford
Today, a freshman Shelby County commissioner. Tomorrow, king of the world.
That evidently is who Justin Ford sees when he stares -- admiringly, no doubt -- at the young man in the mirror. And, with apologies to the undisputed king of pop, don't bother asking him to change his ways.
Memphis seems to be overrun with politicians who apparently never read the biblical admonition from the Apostle Paul to not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.
Search our databases. A few exceptions do come to mind. One was state Rep. Ulysses Jones Jr., who died suddenly last week at the age of 59.
For my money, Jones was the epitome of an experienced, cordial and selfless public servant, both in his day job as a Memphis firefighter and in his political role in the Tennessee General Assembly since 1987.
We didn't always agree. Frankly, I thought Jones was often on the wrong side of public access issues in the legislature. But he was, without exception, a courteous, hard-working and conscientious elected leader who sought results for his constituents rather than personal enrichment or a powerful name.
The day before Jones' death, I couldn't help but chuckle while reading the newspaper story profiling Ford, one of five new members of the County Commission.
Ford is the third member of his political family's second generation -- Harold Jr. and Edmund Jr. are the others -- to serve in public office. At 25, he is the youngest person holding an elected position in the county. And judging from the profile by Commercial Appeal reporter Daniel Connolly, he's also the brashest.
Case in point: Ford said in interviews with Connolly that it's only a matter of time before he seeks a much higher office.
"It's going to be the United States Congress or the mayorship," he said.
Referring to Edith Moore, 62, his vanquished opponent in the May Democratic primary for the commission seat, Ford said, "We wanted to make an example out of Mrs. Moore, and we did just that. Would I have run against Justin Ford if I was her? No. No, I wouldn't."
Later, he added, "She was just a casualty ... she was a bump in the road that I had to get over."
In other words, if your name is Ford and you're driven to be king of the world, I suppose you have to roll over a few human speed bumps en route to the top.
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Then there was this modest declaration from Artemis "Peppa" Williams, who acts as an unofficial political manager for Ford: "Mark my words. Justin Ford -- you can quote me on this -- Justin Ford will be the next, most powerful politician in the city of Memphis. Then the state of Tennessee. Then Washington, D.C."
Then the industrialized world. And then the galactic empire.
After all, as Ford said in the profile, "Some people think it's arrogance, some people think it's cockiness. It's just confidence."
That kind of talk is to be expected, I guess, from a guy who claims membership in an organization called Prepared for the World.
Along this journey to world supremacy, Ford said he wants to mobilize 30,000 people age 30 and under. For what, who knows?
He also wants to launch his own cooking show and hand out free diapers to cut down on staph infections caused by parents reusing soiled ones on their babies.
And if that's not altruistic enough, Ford said he also plans to create a website, justinford.com, and start a contest online in which admirers vie for a chance to have dinner with him.
Forgive me if I'm being overly harsh on Ford. Although I've never met him, I'm sure he's a fine young man with lots of promise.
But honestly, haven't we already endured enough cockiness and self-centered behavior from some of our elected leaders, past and present, to last a lifetime? That includes members of the Ford clan.
By contrast, Ulysses Jones Jr. was a guy who set a gold standard for public service. Why can't young Ford aspire to be more like him?
Maybe one day, Ford will reach his goals of becoming mayor, then a member of Congress and, who knows, even president.
For now, though, "I want to make sure at the end of my first term (as commissioner) that people will have some great things to say about me," Ford told Connolly.
But if he intends to achieve all of that, and also become a world-class chef, perhaps he should get a taste of humility first
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