Gabriel L. Jones

Gabriel L. Jones (1858 - February 20, 1915) was a teacher, public official, and state legislator in Indiana. He represented the Marion County in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1897. He was a Republican.

Biography Jones was born in Gallatin in Sumner County, Tennessee, before moving to Indianapolis with his family in 1875. He went to public schools and after graduating from high school in 1883

He was selected as a candidate for representative at the Republican convention held in September 1896, which he successfully obtained. One of his Democratic opponents, Edward L. Little, hired someone to hand out hand-bills with an unrepresentative image of Jones, shown darker skinned and with a dice and daisy decorated neck-tie, to give the impression he was a "daisy dice shooter". After these were also plastered an walls Jones decided to take civil and criminal action for libel.

Jones was duly elected to the Indiana House of Representatives representing Marion County serving just one year in 1897.

Jones was an advocate for the equal right for blacks in education After much amendment the bill passed the House but was defeated in the Senate.

He was the last African American elected to the legislature for several decades with the next being representative Henry J. Richardson Jr. in 1932 and the next senator was Robert Broken in 1941.

Jones was an active member of the Bethel A.M.E. Church and was on its board of trustees. When he died he had been working for the United States Custom House as a watchman. He was survived by his wife Mrs. Addie Jones and son Benjamin Jones as well as his mother and sister. His funeral was at his Bethal A. M .E church and he was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.