Representative Jones was an ardent champion of public works as an instrument for the creation of essential community and regional facilities. Some of his more significant achievements are his principal sponsorship of the landmark Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 and the Economic Development Act and the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. He was a major moving force in the creation of the Federal aid highway program. This included the Interstate Highway System, hailed as the greatest single public works project in history. Representative Jones was the co-author of this bill and the Accelerated Public Works Act of 1959.

In 1984, the Legislature of Alabama passed a resolution to "express deep gratitude to Congressman Robert E. Jones for outstanding service both to the Fifth Congressional District and to all of Alabama." He died in June 1997.

Below are some accolades from those who knew Bob Jones and the tremendous positive impact that he had not only on this area but the nation as well:

MG John G. Zierdt (retired MICOM Commander) - "I feel that you did far more for the State of Alabama than you ever got credit for."

Eberhard Rees (Former Director of MSFC) - "I believe that without your untiring efforts and your support in Congress our Area here in North Alabama could not have developed to the extent so necessary and vital for the growth of Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center."

John McDaniel (Former Director of MICOM RD&E Laboratory) - "Those of us connected with Redstone Arsenal and the Missile Command have been direct beneficiaries of many of your actions. We have been privileged over the years to make some very solid contributions to the national defense, and a few which could conservatively be termed spectacular. Although we are justifiably proud of these accomplishments, we are acutely aware that none of these would have been possible without your dedicated support which resulted in the necessary legislative action."

The Honorable Carl Albert (Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) - "I do not know how you would classify men who have served in a representative capacity in this country, but I am sure that if you picked the upper 5 percent of this generation, of all generations, Bob Jones name would be high among them."

Senator John J. Sparkman - "Bob Jones has been an outstanding Congressmen. Bob's retirement from Congress will be a great loss not only to his congressional district and the State of Alabama, but to the Nation as a whole. I regret exceedingly to see him leave Congress."

Senator John Allen (Alabama) - "He [Bob Jones] is one of the most outstanding and most influential Members of the House of Representatives, and his mark has been placed on some of the most important legislation passed by Congress in the past 30 years. His understanding of the needs of the people has been written into almost every public works bill signed into law during his 15 terms as Representative from Alabama's great Tennessee Valley."

From The Huntsville Times, 10 February 76 - "The Tennessee Valley of North Alabama has blossomed over the past 40 years; and no individual deserves more credit for the transformation the Bob Jones"

Biography By Jay R. McNamara * University of Alabama in Huntsville

In the official Biographical Directory of the United States Congress the entry for Representative Bob Jones is quite succinct. There, in alphabetical order among friends and colleagues like Sam Rayburn and Jack Kennedy, his entry outlines his career. It reads:

Jones, Robert Emmett, Jr., a Representative from Alabama; born in Scottsboro, Jackson County, Ala., June 12, 1912; attended the public schools and was graduated from the law department of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, January 7,1937; was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Scottsboro, Ala.; elected judge of Jackson County Court in July 1940; re-elected in absentia in May 1945 and served until October 1946; served in the United States Navy as gunnery officer in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters from December 1943 until February 1944; elected as a Democrat to the Eightieth Congress, by special election, January 28, 194, to fill the vacancy caused by the registration of John L Sparkman; re-elected to the fourteen succeeding Congresses and served from January 28,1947 to January 3, 1977; chairman, Committee on Public Works and Transportation (Ninety-fourth Congress); was not a candidate for re-election in 1976 to the Ninety-fifth Congress; is a resident of Scottsboro, Ala.

But as Paul Harvey might say, "that's only part of the story." In fact, the career of the distinguished Congressman from the Northern District of Alabama demonstrates a model of a Representative who balanced a harmony with the people who elected him, at of the national interest, and his personal integrity in such away that he emerged as a leader in the Congress who was respected by all. In a 1947 letter of appreciation to the people of the district, the newly elected Congressman made a promise to the people; a promise which guided Jones throughout his career. He said:

In assuming my duties as your representative in Congress in January, I shall go to Washington as the unfettered representative of all the people. I pledge that l shall work untiringly for the interests of this county and this district - a pledge that l shall neither forget, nor neglect.

The next thirty years of his life were devoted to keeping that promise. That so much of what the Congressman championed has benefited not only his district, but the state, the country and, indeed, mankind is fitting testimony to both the sincere desire of the man to do what was best and to those - people of the Fifth District who shared his vision.

Brief Legislative Career Sketch

The following sketch of the Congressman's legislative record, assembled from the collection of his papers at UAH, is only that most visible portion of the career of this Congressman. Robert B. Jones came to the Congress in 1947 as a lawyer and former county judge from rural Alabama recently discharged from the Navy. He left the House thirty years later as one of the most powerful men in the Congress. During his tenure, he had served a lengthy term on the Government Operations Committee and as a member and chairman of the Public Works and Transportation Committee. He had also been a key player in the passage of important legislation in a number of areas. But his voting record represents only pan of a public life with many dimensions. Suffice It to say that the same caring and trustworthiness first perceived by those 1940 voters who elected him judge for Jackson County, Alabama accounted for the persuasive, winning style that made him a supremely successful legislative leader over the next four decades. His record of accomplishment is even more remarkable when one considers that the Congressman began his cameras member of the minority party and served a good portion of his time as a leader of the loyal opposition to Dwight Eisenhower, a personally popular Republican president.

While Bob Jones is best known as first a member and then as the Chairman of the powerful Public Works and Transportation Committee of the House and for his work on the Governmental Operations Committee, he used every platform available to him to assist the people of his district In doing so, he became a champion of the cause of people throughout the United States who lived in poor rural areas. It is rare to find Congressmen who are skillful enough to establish an eminent record in a single legislative area. Most of those who served never find such a niche. Rarer still is the legislator who has left his mark on more than one program. Bob Jones established a record of accomplishment in a variety of significant areas. The four most noteworthy areas of his interest were the Tennessee Valley Authority, conservation, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, and economic development for rural areas.

*From Guide to the Congressional Papers of Robert E. Jones, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Special Collections, 1992

Bob Jones' remarks at the unveiling of his portrait in Congress, shortly before his retirement

Mr. (Jim) Wright, my colleagues in the Congress, and you who have directed your presence here this afternoon: I appreciate your attendance and your thoughtfulness to be associated with such a venture as this.

You know, just a few weeks ago, I announced the fact that I would not be a candidate for reelection. I live down on the pike, and just beyond me about 2 miles, Mr. Whitmore was talking to Fred Bynum, and Fred Bynum said: You know, Bob is not running any longer.

Mr. Whitmore said: He ain't? What is wrong with him?

Fred said: Well, he is a-quitting.

He said: Well, now, why is he quitting?

Mr. Bynum said: Well, I don't know, but he says, you know, he has been up there 30 years.

He has? Robert has not been up there that long; has he?

Mr. Bynum said: He sure has.

And Mr. Whitmore said: Lord bless me. I did not know Robert had been away that long.

One of the most wonderful experiences always has been serving in the Congress of the United States. This is an institution that all of us should think a great deal about. It is the most respected institution we have in our entire governmental community. It builds the Republic. It senses its awkwardness. It does everything in the world for people throughout their lives and their feelings for respectability of government is vested here.

Those are the moments, those are the aspects of public life we all aspire to, and we can fasten our community values with the House of Representatives and the Congress of the United States.

I am awfully proud of my tenure here. I look over this crowd and I see the moments of greatness. Your lending me your hand all during my tenure here has been a source of richness for me. It has been for all of us.

I have to pay tribute to the Pubic Works Committee. No committee in the House of Representatives has been more responsive, more dutiful in their purpose, more gainful in their operation, more aspiring to make greater gains, to measure their distance, than the Committee on Public Works. Those people, the composition, is the most rewarding, I think, that Congress ever created.

Going back to the act of 1946 the committee members made the distances and measures of what was to be their goal, and they put themselves to the test.

Do you realize that every offering the Public Works Committee has made has been put into law?

Not only that, I cannot recall since 1946 that we have ever produced legislation that was offered to the House of Representatives that was not adopted without amendment. There is no other committee that can make that great claim, but I can on its part, and I'm quite sure that in the future the members of the committee will have the same desires and aspirations and total devotion. This committee ought to take the "S" off the Committee on Public Works, and make it "w-o-r-k", work, work, and then work some more. That is the chief characteristic of this committee. It is a composition of genuine, hardworking people, and if I take my leave here now, I cannot think of having any finer people than we have on the Public Works Committee to carry on the work.

There is one specific person I want to pay tribute to as I make my departure.

Well, I never did get in a situation where things went wrong, and the reason why is I had the finest companion, I had the most wonderful utility any man can have, and that was my wife Christine.

You are lovely people.

When I look over and see the people in this room, I do not recall whether it occurred in the Bible, but I always think about the lady seeing Christ, and she held his cloth, and she was reborn again. If anything, I have touched your cloth. You have made me refreshed for all the rest of my life, and I hope that you can remember where I live and come by.

God bless you, and thank you.

Remarks of Congressman Robert E. "Bud" Cramer

[Congressional Record: August 7, 1998 (Extensions)]

[Page E1624-E1625]

RECOGNITION OF THE COMPLETION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 72

______

HON. ROBERT E. (BUD) CRAMER, JR. of Alabama

in the house of representatives

Thursday, August 6, 1998

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the long-awaited completion of the four-laning of U.S. Highway 72 in northern Alabama.

On Friday, August 7, we will dedicate the final section of the highway to be completed from the city of Stevenson to the city of Bridgeport at the Alabama-Tennessee state line.

Our community has worked toward this day and waited for this day for a very long time. For the first time ever, people will be able to travel on four lanes of Highway 72 from state line to state line. It will be a better highway and, most importantly, a safer highway. This last section of Highway 72 has been a dangerous, narrow stretch of road. Tragically, we have lost lives on this highway. The completion of this road is long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, in recognizing the completion of Highway 72, I would like to pay special recognition to Congressman Bob Jones, without whose work this day would not have been possible.

Congressman Jones represented north Alabama in the House of Representatives with distinction and honor for 30 years. A native of Jackson County, Congressman Jones was the chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee. The four-laning of Highway 72 is part of the enormous legacy that Congressman Jones left the state of Alabama. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, Congressman Jones passed away last year at the age of 85. We deeply regret that Congressman Jones will not be with us at Friday's dedication, but we know he will be with us in spirit.

When I first came to Congress, I knew that the completion of Highway 72 had to be one of my top priorities, for the sake of the people who travel on 72 and the sake of the groundwork laid by Congressman Jones and my immediate predecessor, Congressman Ronnie Flippo. I want to thank all of my colleagues in the House who voted for the $25 million I proposed for the completion of Highway 72. With this money, the Alabama Department of Transportation was able to finally finish the highway.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend all of the citizens of Alabama who poured their time and effort into the four-laning of Highway 72. The dedication of this last section of the highway is a major milestone for our people and our community.

Robert E. Jones photo gallery

Alabama Delegation, 1950s	Alabama Delegation, 1950s	Alabama Delegation, 1950s
Alabama Resolution saluting Jones	Trip to Australia, 1961	Trip to Australia, 1961
Meeting with BG Barclay	Campaign poster	Campaign poster
Dedication of the Clear Creek Watershed, 1959	Alabama's delegation to the 90th Congress	Alabama delegation meets with Governor George Wallace, March 2, 1971
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Economic Development Bill, August 26, 1965	With Congressmen (l to r) Edmonson, Hall, and Cramer 1965	With President Eisenhower at MSFC, 1960
With FDR, Jr., 1964	President Kennedy signs the Federal Highway Bill, July 1961	With Congressman Horton
With Vice President Humphrey at MSFC, May 22-23, 1967	With Vice President Humphrey at MSFC, May 22-23, 1967	Idaho, 1953
Addressing constituents	Congressional Baseball Team	Trip to Cuba, February 13, 1948
Gurley, Alabama, 1953	Congressman Jones' home, 1999	Chairing a Committee
Jones, James Webb, Senator Sparkman, October 29, 1964	Jones, July 1967	Congratulating President-elect Kennedy, December 15 1960
With President Kennedy	Jones, March 1973	With "Tip" O'Neil
Early portrait	At portrait unveiling	Public Works Committee
Press conference, 1975	Running for reelection	Running for reelection
With Vice President Rockefeller, 1975	With Senator Sparkman	Taking the oath of office, January 28, 1947
Meeting with TVA	Von Braun and Jones discuss creation of Research Park, Huntsville, Alabama	Von Braun and Jones discuss creation of the University of Alabama in Huntsville
Kennedy visit to RSA, May 1963	Kennedy visit to RSA, May 1963	Kennedy visit to RSA, May 1963
Kennedy visit to RSA, May 1963	Kennedy visit to RSA, May 1963	Kennedy visit to RSA, September 1962
Examining hurricane damage in Louisiana, 1965	With Lady Bird Johnson, 1964	At the inauguration of Gov. Wallace
MSFC visit, 1964	Dedication of hospital in Jackson County, Alabama	Water Quality hearings, Atlanta, Georgia, 1975
With President Nixon in Huntsville, 1974	Nixon signs Disaster Relief Act May 22, 1974	Jones' notes
RSA visit, 1961	First recipients of the Rural Housing Act, 1949	With President Johnson, 1965
At Savannah River hearings, 23-25 October 1969	With Senate Agriculture Committee, Decatur, AL, 1971	Sparkman & Jones, 1964
Visiting RSA, 1961	With President Truman in Decatur, Alabama, 1948	With TVA members
TVA Bill signing, 1966	Examining TVA locks	Examining TVA locks
Examining TVA locks	Touring TVA facilities, 1971	With Von Braun
With Von Braun	With Von Braun	With Vice President Alben Barclay
With Governor Wallace, 1971	With Governor Wallace, 1964	Showing JUPITER model, 1960
Washington, D.C., 1975	With MG Zierdt	With Zierdt, Von Braun, and VP Humphrey