Jones, William Carey, 1854-1923

William Carey Jones, 1854-1923, served as the founder and first director of the School of Jurisprudence of the University of California. Prior to the founding of that school in 1912, he served on the faculty of the Departments of Latin and History, as well as the Department of Jurisprudence, founded at the University of California in 1894, largely through Jones' efforts. Jones also served the University of California in many administrative and advisory capacities, and authored The Illustrated History of the University of California, first published in 1895. Jones was nationally recognized for his legal scholarship, especially with regard to city charters and civic planning legislation. He was active in numerous organizations and aocities in California and elsewhere, including the California Historical Society, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Unitarian Church.

From the description of William Carey Jones papers, 1834-1923 (bulk 1884-1923). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 86132548

United States Congressman from Washington.

From the description of Papers, 1891-1898. (Washington State University). WorldCat record id: 29853202

Biographical Information

Background and Early Education

William Carey Jones, former professor of law at the University of California, was born on October 15, 1854 in Washington DC, to a well-respected family with strong political and military ties. His father, also named William Carey Jones, was a United States Land Commissioner, who in 1849 headed the government's investigation into land titles in California. His mother, Eliza Benton Jones, was the sister of General John Charles Frémont and the daughter of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. Proceeding further back on his father's side, Jones was the great grandnephew of General Joseph Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill, and of Benjamin Thompson, later Count Rumford, a Loyalist and scientist whose inventions included central heating, the closed oven, thermal underwear, and the pressure cooker.

The younger William Carey Jones was educated at public and private schools until the age of 17, when he enrolled at the University of California, founded only three years prior to his arrival. Throughout his time as a student at the University of California, Jones avidly pursued his interest in the law. He compensated for the lack of a formal program of legal education on the Berkeley campus by supplementing his coursework in political theory and history with independent readings into the theory and practice of law in California. He received his A.B. from the University of California in 1875, after submitting as his bachelor's thesis an essay entitled, Alfred the Great and George Washington .

Teacher and Administrator

Jones had intended upon graduating to immediately enter into practice. However, members of the University of California faculty and administration had recognized his talent in legal matters, and had begun requesting for his services. In 1876, University of California President John Le Conte offered Jones an administrative role as Recorder of the Faculties. In 1877, Jones was appointed instructor in Latin at the insistence of Professor (and future university president) Martin Kellogg. In 1879, after passing the bar exam and receiving his M.A., he attempted to resign his position at the University of California, in order to once again pursue practice of law in San Francisco. His attempt at resignation met with swift opposition from the Board of Regents. They referred the matter to a special committee, chaired by Dr. Horatio Stebbins, who personally convinced Jones to stay on at the university.

From 1882-1894, Jones taught courses in Roman law, constitutional law, international law, and jurisprudence, as an Instructor in United States History and Constitutional Law in the History Department. In 1894, the President and Board of Regents created a new Department of Jurisprudence. Jones was selected to chair the new department, whose creation signaled the beginning of a formal program of legal education on the campus.

The 1868 Organic Act, which created and organized the University of California, included provision for the establishment of a law college. The Hastings College of Law, founded in San Francisco in 1878 through the generous funding of the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, Serranus Clinton Hastings, began offering courses in conjunction with the University of California Department of Jurisprudence in 1898. Following extended discussions among William Carey Jones, President Benjamin Ide Wheeler, and other longtime supporters of the University of California, the decision was reached to establish a more robust program of legal education at the university, which would focus on abstract concepts as well as more practical applications, and which would benefit from being in close proximity to the other academic departments and resources of the Berkeley campus. On November 12, 1912, following fourteen more years of development and planning, the Department of Jurisprudence was transformed into the School of Jurisprudence, with a new home at Boalt Hall, named for Elizabeth Boalt, who contributed $100,000 towards the construction of the law school building. Jones was appointed its first director, a position he held until his death in 1923.

Besides serving as a de facto legal advisor to the University throughout his career, Jones served as a strong advocate of the University. He helped attract many talented faculty, and was also a successful fundraiser, who played a major role in strengthening Phoebe Hearst's relationship with the University. Although the Regents selected Benjamin Ide Wheeler to succeed Martin Kellogg as President in 1899, Jones was under heavy consideration for that position, and there is some evidence that his candidacy remained under consideration throughout his academic career.

Jones served as dean of the Graduate Division from 1918 to 1920, and in 1919 also served as chairman of the administrative board that presided over the University in the nine-month interim between President Benjamin Ide Wheeler's resignation and the inauguration of David S. Barrows.

Among his many contributions to the University of California, Jones wrote the University's first comprehensive history, The Illustrated History of the University of California, first published in 1895. A revised edition of that volume, covering the university's history to the turn of the 20th century, was published in 1901.

Public Servant and Legal Scholar

Apart from his close relationship with the University, Jones was very active in the affairs of the City of Berkeley. He served for six years as President of the Berkeley Board of Education (1884-1890), and also held a seat for two years on the Berkeley City Council (1894-1896). Jones served as President of the Berkeley Unitarian Club (1908), and also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley (1911).

Jones was a member of the American, California, and Alameda County Bar Associations, the Phi Beta Kappa scholarship society, and the Commonwealth Club of California, as well as the Golden Bear and Winged Helmet Clubs of the University of California. Following many years of local affiliation, Jones also served as President of the National Committee of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation (1921).

Jones helped write or amend the charters of many California cities, including Berkeley, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Vallejo, and was often contacted by municipal governments throughout the United States for his legal expertise. He also authored numerous scholarly publications and articles, including treatises on torts in Modern American Law, papers on constitutional law in the California Law Review, and a number of legal textbooks, including the Elements of Civil Government (1891).

Personal and Family Life

Jones married twice; his first marriage, to Alice Harriet Whitcomb, of Berkeley, took place on October 17, 1880. They had one daughter, Alice Benton. Jones' second marriage, to Ada M. Butterfield, of San Francisco, took place on November 18, 1893. Together they had two daughters, Frances Carey, and Elsie.

Jones maintained close ties with his children, and in the final year of his life, he visited his daughter Alice and her husband, Willys Ruggles Peck, at their home in Peking, China. William Carey Jones died in Peking on October 2, 1923.

Chronology

• 1854: William Carey Jones is born on October 15, in Washington, D. C.
• 1875: Receives A.B. from the University of California
• 1876: Appointed Recorder of the Faculties
• 1877: Appointed Instructor in Latin
• 1879: Receives M.A. from the University of California Admitted to the State Bar of California
• 1880: Marries Alice Harriet Whitcomb, of Berkeley, on October 17
• 1882: Appointed Instructor in United States History
• 1884 - 1890 : Serves as President of the Board of Education of Berkeley
• 1891: The Elements of Civil Government is published
• 1893: Marries Ada M. Butterfield, of San Francisco, on November 18
• 1894 - 1896 : Serves as member of the Berkeley City Council
• 1895: First edition of The Illustrated History of the University of California is published
• 1896: Nominated by Phoebe A. Hearst as the University Representative and Trustee of her endowment to the University
• 1897 - 1900 : Serves as Secretary of the California Historical Society
• 1901: Revised edition of The Illustrated History of the University of California is published
• 1908: Serves as President of the Berkeley Unitarian Club
• 1911: Serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley
• 1912: Becomes Director of School of Jurisprudence
• 1918 - 1920 : Serves as Dean of Graduate Division
• 1919: Serves as Chairman of the Board of Administration of the University
• 1921: Serves as President of the National Committee of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation
• 1923: William Carey Jones dies on October 2, in Peking, China

From the guide to the William Carey Jones papers, 1834-1923, bulk 1884-1923, (The Bancroft Library)