Samuel Jefferson Jones (April 16, 1827 – December 10, 1883) was a pro-slavery settler who held the position of Douglas County sheriff in Kansas Territory from late 1855 until early 1857.

[5] Jones journeyed to the territorial capital of Lecompton and erected Constitution Hall, which he rented out to the local pro-slavery government.

[8] On November 21, 1855, the pro-slavery settler Franklin Coleman shot and killed the Free Stater Charles Dow at Hickory Point (about 14 miles (23 km) south of Lawrence) because of a land claim.

Understandably, Shannon had intended for the militia to be composed of Kansans, but Jones mustered a small army of 1,500 pro-slavery men, most of whom were from Missouri.

A bullet eventually struck Jones, which rendered him for a time partially paralyzed, and although he survived the assassination attempt, rumors quickly spread that he had been killed.

Consequently, Sheriff Jones—who, in addition to his desire to uphold the pro-slavery laws, had an ax to grind with the free-staters—assembled an army of about 800 southern settlers to enter Lawrence, disarm the citizens, destroy the anti-slavery presses, and dismantle the Free State Hotel.

Dr. Robinson’s house on Mount Oread was taken by the federal marshal as headquarters (before being razed), the newspaper printing presses were destroyed, the Free State Hotel was burned down, and the town was looted.

[20] On January 7, 1857,[1] Jones resigned as sheriff of Douglas County "because [territorial governor John W. Geary] would not furnish him with balls and chains for certain free-state prisoners.

[5] In 1859, Jones and two partners, Lewis S. Owings and Robert P. Kelley, owned a number of businesses in the town and also had interests in mining properties.

They realized that the existing population base was too small for them to attain the prosperity they desired, so they concocted a scheme to establish a town site and promote it, to draw settlers into the area.