James Chamberlain Jones (April 20, 1809 – October 29, 1859) was an American politician who served as the tenth governor of Tennessee from 1841 to 1845, and as a United States senator from Tennessee from 1851 to 1857. A Whig, Jones twice defeated future U.S. President James K. Polk for the governorship, in 1841 and 1843. He was the first native-born Tennessean to be elected governor of the state.
Jones's first gubernatorial term was marked by gridlock with the state senate, which was led by a group of Democratic senators known as the "Immortal Thirteen." His second term was more productive, as his fellow Whigs controlled both houses of the legislature. Though he later joined the Democratic Party, Jones's speaking skills and campaign style helped to solidify Tennessee's Whigs as one of the strongest Whig movements in the South. While in the legislature, Jones studied law, but never practiced.
Governor
In 1841, the Tennessee Whigs nominated Jones as their candidate for governor. The Whigs believed that Jones, widely known as an entertaining speaker and storyteller, was their best shot to defeat incumbent governor, James K. Polk. After besting Polk in a series of debates in the Spring of 1841, Jones won the election by just 3,000 votes out of over 100,000 cast.