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John Jefferson Jolly (b. March 18, 1838 in Mount Hebron, Greene County; d. May 2, 1881 in Gainesville, Sumter County) was a lawyer by profession.  
[[File:J. J. Jolly -- Birmingham News Nov 4 1928 pg. 76.jpg|200px|thumb|right|J. J. Jolly]]


Jolly, the son of a Christian Church minister, graduated from the University of Alabama in 1855 and Franklin College, outside of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1856. In 1858, he married Susan Richardson, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In June 1861, following Alabama’s secession from the Union, Jolly enlisted in the Confederate Army, serving in the 43rd Alabama Cavalry. He was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.  
'''John Jefferson Jolly''' (born [[March 18]], [[1838]] in Mount Hebron, Greene County; died [[May 2]], [[1881]] in Gainesville, Sumter County) was an attorney and state legislator.  


'''Political Career'''
Jolly, the son of a Christian Church minister, graduated from the [[University of Alabama]] in [[1855]] and Franklin College, outside of Nashville, Tennessee, in [[1856]]. On [[April 7]], [[1858]], he married [[Susan Jolly|Susan Richardson]] in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.


Following the war, Jolly became active in state politics. He was a notorious Ku Klux Klan leader in West Alabama at the height of the Klan’s power in the period between 1868 and 1871. Jolly’s involvement with the Klan—as with so many other prominent men in the State—was undertaken with the goal of ending Radical Republican rule in Alabama and restoring native Democrats to power. He was implicated in several incidents, the most widely-known of which occurred in the summer of 1870, when Jolly orchestrated a Klan raid on a reelection rally for incumbent Gov. William Hugh Smith in Eutaw that resulted in the deaths of several African-American attendees. He was indicted for this and other Klan activities by a federal court in Mobile in 1871, but was never convicted.  
In June [[1861]], following Alabama’s secession from the Union, Jolly enlisted in the Confederate Army, serving as a Captain in the [[43rd Alabama Cavalry]]. He was commissioned during the war as a Lieutenant Colonel and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga in September [[1863]].  


But he was even closer to the electoral process in 1870 through his personal affiliation with the Democratic candidate for governor, Robert B. Lindsay. Lindsay emerged victorious on Election Day, receiving approximately 1,400 more votes than Smith amid widespread accusations of fraud on the part of Democratic Party operatives. In the weeks following the election, Smith, with the help of federal troops and the Montgomery County sheriff, refused to give up the governor’s office to Lindsay. In this tense time, Jolly served as a kind of personal envoy from Lindsay to Smith, carrying personal messages back and forth between the two men.
Following the war, Jolly became active in state politics and traveled to New York, New York to vote in the [[1868]] Democratic National Convention in Tammany Hall. He was an active leader of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] in West Alabama during [[Reconstruction]] and orchestrated a raid of a rally for incumbent [[Governor of Alabama|Governor]] [[William Hugh Smith]] in Eutaw in the Summer of [[1870]]. Several African Americans were killed during the raid and Jolly was indicted by a federal court for his involvement, but never convicted.
After 1871, Jolly began a long, but steady, ascent through the ranks of the state Democratic Party that, had he not died prematurely, might well have brought him to the governor’s office. He was initially slated to be sent to Washington in 1872 to fill one of the two at-large Congressional seats apportioned to Alabama under military Reconstruction. That nomination, however, was nixed due to political concerns. Two years later, he came to [[Birmingham]] to serve as City Attorney for 1874 during the administration of Mayor [[James R. Powell]]. He held this office for approximately one year before returning to private practice in Birmingham. Later, he represented Jefferson County in the Alabama State Legislature in 1876–1877.


'''First Christian Church, Birmingham'''
Jolly was a close friend of Smith's Democratic opponent [[Robert Lindsay]]. Lindsay won the [[1870 general election]] by 1,400 votes amid accusations of fraud by Democratic Party operatives. Federal troops and the Montgomery County Sheriff's office barricaded the Capitol to prevent Lindsay's administration from attempting to take office before the controversy was settled. Jolly acted as an envoy, delivering messages between the two men.


Shortly after arriving in [[Birmingham]] in [[1874]], Jolly and his wife began holding worship services in his home. In 1876, at the invitation of Jolly and recent Birmingham transplant [[Leven S. Goodrich]], Pinckney B. Lawson (1823–1882), minister for the Christian Church in Marion, came to [[Birmingham]] to hold a protracted meeting. Jolly rented the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]] for the occasion. At the conclusion of Lawson’s meeting, [[First Christian Church]] was organized with approximately a dozen members. The church withered after the fall of 1878 when both the Jollys and the Goodriches left the city.
Jolly continued to rise in prominence in the [[Alabama Democratic Party]] in the 1870s, and was nearly appointed to the United States Congress during military reconstruction. He moved to [[Birmingham]] in [[1874]] and was appointed by the [[Birmingham Board of Aldermen]] to serve as the first [[Birmingham City Attorney]]. He also served on the first board of trustees for the [[Powell School|Free School]].


Jolly spent the remaining years of his life in Gainesville, Sumter County. Some sources indicate that, in the months prior to his death in May 1881, he was being seriously discussed as a Democratic candidate for governor in the 1882 election.
Jolly resigned from the city to enter private practice in September 1874, partnering with [[Baylis Grace Jr]], and establishing an office in the [[National Bank of Birmingham building]]. That partnership was dissolved in [[1875]] and Jolly joined a firm with [[J. P. Herring]] on [[20th Street North|20th Street]].


By 1884, Jolly’s widow Susan and her children had returned to Birmingham. In the spring of 1885, they invited [[Robert W. Van Hook]] to Birmingham to hold a protracted meeting that resulted in the reorganization of [[First Christian Church]] on a permanent footing.  
In [[1876]] he was elected to represent [[Jefferson County]] in the [[Alabama State House of Representatives]] for a two-year term. He continued to maintain his private practice, partnering with [[J. H. Steele]] of [[Warrior|Warrior Station]].
After the death of his wife, Susan, in 1920, Jolly was reinterred beside her at [[Elmwood Cemetery]] in Birmingham.
 
While in Birmingham, Jolly and his wife helped to organized the [[First Christian Church|First Christian Church of Birmingham]] by hosting worship services in their home. He and [[Leven Goodrich]] invited [[Pinckney Lawson]] of Marion to hold an evangelistic meeting. The congregation withered, however, after the Jolly and Goodrich families left Birmingham in late [[1878]].
 
Jolly spent the remaining years of his life in Gainesville, Sumter County. Prior to his death he had been mentioned as a possible candidate for Governor of Alabama in the [[1882 general election|1882 election]]. Susan Jolly and her children returned to Birmingham and invited [[Robert Van Hook]] to help with the reorganization of First Christian Church.
 
After Susan's death in [[1920]] J. J. Jolly's remains were brought to Birmingham to share her plot at [[Elmwood Cemetery]].


==References==
==References==
* “Alabama—Review of the Proceedings of the Democratic Convention” ''New York Times'' (July 1, 1872).
* Buck, Alfred (1871) ''Condition of the South—The Kuklux Klan an Organization in Alabama.'' Washington, D. C.: F. & J. Rives & Geo. A. Bailey  
* Harriet Smith Bennett, “Christians Win Over Odds,” ''Birmingham News–Age-Herald'' (November 4, 1928), n. p.
* "Alabama—Review of the Proceedings of the Democratic Convention." (July 1, 1872) ''The New York Times''
* Alfred Buck, ''Condition of the South—The Kuklux Klan an Organization in Alabama'' (Washington, D. C.: F. & J. Rives & Geo. A. Bailey, 1871).
* ''Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States: Alabama (Vol. 1)'' (1872) Washington D.C.
* John Witherspoon DuBose, ''Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama'' (Birmingham: Teeple and Smith, 1887)
* Fleming, Walter L. (1905) ''Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama.'' New York: Columbia University Press
* Walter L. Fleming, ''Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 1905)
* {{Dubose-1887}}
* ''Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States: Alabama (Vol. 1)'' (Washington, D. C., 1872)
* Bennett, Harriet Smith (November 4, 1928) "Christians Win Over Odds," ''Birmingham News–Age-Herald''
* George and Mildred Watson, ''History of the Christian Churches in the Alabama Area'' (St. Louis: Bethany Press, 1965).
* Watson, George and Mildred (1965) ''History of the Christian Churches in the Alabama Area.'' St Louis, Missouri: Bethany Press
 
==External links==
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=112585814 John Jefferson Jolly] at Findagrave.com
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jolly, John}}
[[Category:1838 births]]
[[Category:1881 deaths]]
[[Category:Alabama alumni]]
[[Category:Confederate veterans]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Ku Klux Klan]]
[[Category:State legislators]]
[[Category:Elmwood burials]]

Revision as of 21:04, 4 January 2024

J. J. Jolly

John Jefferson Jolly (born March 18, 1838 in Mount Hebron, Greene County; died May 2, 1881 in Gainesville, Sumter County) was an attorney and state legislator.

Jolly, the son of a Christian Church minister, graduated from the University of Alabama in 1855 and Franklin College, outside of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1856. On April 7, 1858, he married Susan Richardson in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

In June 1861, following Alabama’s secession from the Union, Jolly enlisted in the Confederate Army, serving as a Captain in the 43rd Alabama Cavalry. He was commissioned during the war as a Lieutenant Colonel and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863.

Following the war, Jolly became active in state politics and traveled to New York, New York to vote in the 1868 Democratic National Convention in Tammany Hall. He was an active leader of the Ku Klux Klan in West Alabama during Reconstruction and orchestrated a raid of a rally for incumbent Governor William Hugh Smith in Eutaw in the Summer of 1870. Several African Americans were killed during the raid and Jolly was indicted by a federal court for his involvement, but never convicted.

Jolly was a close friend of Smith's Democratic opponent Robert Lindsay. Lindsay won the 1870 general election by 1,400 votes amid accusations of fraud by Democratic Party operatives. Federal troops and the Montgomery County Sheriff's office barricaded the Capitol to prevent Lindsay's administration from attempting to take office before the controversy was settled. Jolly acted as an envoy, delivering messages between the two men.

Jolly continued to rise in prominence in the Alabama Democratic Party in the 1870s, and was nearly appointed to the United States Congress during military reconstruction. He moved to Birmingham in 1874 and was appointed by the Birmingham Board of Aldermen to serve as the first Birmingham City Attorney. He also served on the first board of trustees for the Free School.

Jolly resigned from the city to enter private practice in September 1874, partnering with Baylis Grace Jr, and establishing an office in the National Bank of Birmingham building. That partnership was dissolved in 1875 and Jolly joined a firm with J. P. Herring on 20th Street.

In 1876 he was elected to represent Jefferson County in the Alabama State House of Representatives for a two-year term. He continued to maintain his private practice, partnering with J. H. Steele of Warrior Station.

While in Birmingham, Jolly and his wife helped to organized the First Christian Church of Birmingham by hosting worship services in their home. He and Leven Goodrich invited Pinckney Lawson of Marion to hold an evangelistic meeting. The congregation withered, however, after the Jolly and Goodrich families left Birmingham in late 1878.

Jolly spent the remaining years of his life in Gainesville, Sumter County. Prior to his death he had been mentioned as a possible candidate for Governor of Alabama in the 1882 election. Susan Jolly and her children returned to Birmingham and invited Robert Van Hook to help with the reorganization of First Christian Church.

After Susan's death in 1920 J. J. Jolly's remains were brought to Birmingham to share her plot at Elmwood Cemetery.

References

  • Buck, Alfred (1871) Condition of the South—The Kuklux Klan an Organization in Alabama. Washington, D. C.: F. & J. Rives & Geo. A. Bailey
  • "Alabama—Review of the Proceedings of the Democratic Convention." (July 1, 1872) The New York Times
  • Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States: Alabama (Vol. 1) (1872) Washington D.C.
  • Fleming, Walter L. (1905) Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama. New York: Columbia University Press
  • Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.
  • Bennett, Harriet Smith (November 4, 1928) "Christians Win Over Odds," Birmingham News–Age-Herald
  • Watson, George and Mildred (1965) History of the Christian Churches in the Alabama Area. St Louis, Missouri: Bethany Press

External links

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