Samuel M. Jones

Samuel M. Jones
32nd Mayor of Toledo
In office
1897 – July 12, 1904
Preceded byGuy G. Major
Succeeded byRobert H. Finch
Personal details
Born
Samuel Milton Jones

(1846-08-03)August 3, 1846
Caernarvonshire, Wales
DiedJuly 12, 1904(1904-07-12) (aged 57)
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican (pre-1899), Independent (1899 to his death)
Children
  • Percy Curtis Jones (1878-1941)
  • Eva Bell Jones (1879-1881)
  • Paul Hugh Jones (1884-1951)
  • Mason Beach Jones (1897-1968)
Signature
Nickname"Golden Rule" Jones

Samuel Milton "Golden Rule" Jones (1846–1904) was a Progressive-Era Mayor of Toledo, Ohio from 1897 until his death in 1904. Jones was famous for his outspoken advocacy of the proverbial ethic of reciprocity or "Golden Rule," hence his nickname.

Jones was a well-known eccentric advocate of municipal reform. He oversaw implementation of a series of humane modifications of the city of Toledo's administration during his tenure as mayor. In 1993, a panel of 69 scholars ranked him the fifth best mayor in American history.[1]

  1. ^ Melvin G. Holli, The American Mayor: The Best and the Worst Big-City Leaders (Pennsylvania State UP, 1999), p. 4–11.