tantamount to election. Bates had a very conservative record as a state representative, even by Tennessee Democratic standards of the time. He ran well to the right of the moderate Jones and spent a large amount of money by the standards of rural West Tennessee at the time. However, he made no real inroads in Jones' support and was heavily defeated. After this, Jones coasted to five more terms (including a completely unopposed run in 1984), choosing not to run for a 10th full term (11th overall) in 1988. The Jackson Sun reported on February 14, 1988: "Jones says he's retiring simply because the time has come. He wants to spend more time with his wife, Llew, and with his granddaughter, Meghan." Jones co-sponsored over 100 bills that successfully entered into law during his tenure in Congress. Jones was the primary author of five bills that passed into law, all of them on agriculture. Among those bills was the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act of 1974, which lead to the creation of the American Egg Board. Legacy He served as a member of various agriculture-related boards and committees. Jones continued to operate his farm near Yorkville until shortly before his death on December 11, 1999. He was one of the few members of Congress in the late 20th century who was an active farmer instead of merely listing it as an occupation. In 2011, he was inducted as the 13th member of the Tennessee Agricultural Hall of Fame in recognition of his service to Tennessee. His congressional papers (1969-1988) are housed in the special collections of the Paul Meek Library at UT Martin. They include 121 linear feet of paper files organized in five series, Correspondence, Legislation, Projects, Committees, and Public Relations. The collection includes over 250 audio tapes for two periods, (1969–72) and (1987–88). References External links "Former Congressman Ed Jones Inducted into Tennessee Ag Hall of Fame" "Ed Jones Congressional papers MS 105 Audio Tapes Collection 1969-1972 and 1987-1988" 1912 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American politicians American Presbyterians American cooperative organizers Deaths in Tennessee Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Farmers from Tennessee People from Gibson County, Tennessee Tennessee Commissioners of Agriculture University of Tennessee alumni University of Tennessee at Martin alumni