Paul Jones

Paul J. Jones (November 4, 1880 – August 4, 1965) was an American college football player and coach and United States federal judge. He played fullback for the University of Michigan's national championship football team in 1902 and became the football coach at Western Reserve University after graduating from Michigan. He practiced law from 1905 to 1920 and served as an Ohio state court judge from 1920 to 1923. In 1923, he was appointed as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland, a position he held until his death in 1965.

Early years and football career Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Jones attended the University of Michigan where he studied law and also played football. Jones worked in a Youngstown boiler shop for five cents an hour during his summer vacations. After the 1901 season, one account read "His work at fullback has been exceptionally good, and he is regarded as the most available man for that position next year." Jones was a popular player, and in October 1902 newspaper accounts reported that he led the students in singing the "varsity yell" at a "singing bee" preceding the football game against Wisconsin. Jones was six-feet tall and weighed 170 pounds as Michigan's fullback in 1902. After being a starter on the 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team, Jones contracted typhoid fever and was unable to play in 1903. In March 1903, Jones left the university for a year to recuperate from the effects of typhoid fever. Jones received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Michigan Law School in 1904. Confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 1923, he received his commission the same day. He had announced plans to retire on November 4, 1965, on his 85th birthday due to illness. He refused the woman's plea for leniency, saying: "It is an outrage for this woman to be bringing children into the world when she and her husband cannot support those they already have without breaking the law."

Jones' ruling was later reversed by the United States Supreme Court. Jones continued to contend that his ruling had been correct.