De Garmo Jones

De Garmo Jones
Mayor of Detroit
In office 1839–1839
Preceded by	Asher B. Bates
Succeeded by	Zina Pitcher
Personal details
Born	November 11, 1787(1787-11-11) Albany, New York
Died	November 14, 1846(1846-11-14) (aged 59) Detroit, Michigan
Spouse(s)	Catherine Annin

De Garmo Jones (November 11, 1787 – November 14, 1846) was a businessman, state senator, and mayor of Detroit.

Biography

De Garmo Jones was born in 1787 in Albany, New York;^[1] the first name of his father is unknown but, his mother was Rachel De Garmo, daughter of a prominent Albany family.^[2] He served as a sutler during the War of 1812,^[2] during which time he passed though Detroit.^[3] In March, 1818, Jones married Catherine Annin.^[2] The couple immediately moved to Detroit, arriving in 1819.^[4] De Garmo and Catherine Annin Jones had seven children,^[2] of which three survived them: Matilda Cass Jones (born 1833, married Auustus Porter Thimpson), De Garmo Jones (born 1835, married Caroline Sauger), and Alice Kercheval Jones (born 1838, married Albert M. Steele).^[4]

In Detroit, he purchased a farm near the city, located between what is now Third Avenue and the alley east of Fourth Street.^[5] Over time, Jones increased the value of the farm, and making him and his heirs wealthy.^[1] Jones had a diverse portfolio of business interests; he was one of the first stockholders in the Bank of Michigan, one of the first directors of the Detroit and St. Joseph Railroad (later the Michigan Central Railroad), and developed copper mines near Lake Superior.^[3] He also owned interests in shipping, warehousing, and construction companies, and built the first capitol building on the state of Michigan.^[1]

Jones was a member of the Whig Party,^[3] and served several times as an alderman of the city of Detroit (1827, 1830, and 1838),^[3] and was elected mayor in 1839. He also served as Adjutant-General of the state of Michigan in 1829 and as a state senator in 1840-1841.^[1] His contemporary George C. Bates said of him:

Sudden and quick in quarrel, with a temper requiring a curb bit, Mr. Jones was a sort of western Vanderbilt, with a great big head, enlarged views, interesting industry, who saw far ahead into the future, and had he lived longer, would have cut deeper and deeper into the tablet of time his career, for he was a most public spirited, enterprising, go ahead man.^[6]

De Garmo Jones died on November 14, 1846,^[1] leaving an estate valued at $250,000.^[2] His wife Catherine died in 1865, leaving an estate valued at $500,000.^[2]

Political offices
Preceded by Asher B. Bates	Mayor of Detroit 1839	Succeeded by Zina Pitcher

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Silas Farmer (1889), THE HISTORY OF DETROIT AND MICHIGAN, p. 1031, http://books.google.com/books?id=Yl06VbZ-RfwC&pg=1031#v=onepage&q&f=false 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Neil Carothers (1960), "Deming and Jones Families in Early Detroit", Magazine of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 23, p. 141 - 146, http://books.google.com/books?id=l3LjAAAAMAAJ&q=Deming+and+Jones+Families+in+Early+Detroit&dq=Deming+and+Jones+Families+in+Early+Detroit&hl=en&ei=NhKaTPufMYKC8gbtudDtBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Stephen D. Bingham (1888), Early history of Michigan: with biographies of state officers, members of Congress, judges and legislators, Thorp & Godfrey, state printers, p. 380, http://books.google.com/books?id=st4iAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA380#v=onepage&q&f=false 
4. ^ ^{a b} William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), Clarence Monroe Burton, ed., The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Volume 2, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, p. 1381, http://books.google.com/books?id=1RgVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1381#v=onepage&q&f=false 
5. ^ Cass Farm MPS from the National Park Service
6. ^ "By-Gones of Detroit", Historical collections, 22, Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, 1894, p. 338, http://books.google.com/books?id=opYUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA338#v=onepage&q&f=false  (Originally published in the Detroit Free Press, 1877-1878)

Persondata
Name	Jones, De Garmo
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 11, 1787
Place of birth	Albany, New York
Date of death	November 14, 1846
Place of death	Detroit, Michigan