But there was within him another, darker side to

But there was within him another, darker side to Jones.

“I had started boozing when I w as a kid back in Pinners Point. By the time I was 21,1 was a full-blown alcoholic, drinking a lot every night. Alcoholism is a weird disease. It is chronic, progressive, and fatal. But the alcoholic will deny the problem to the Gates of Hell, which is where I ended up."

Although his professional career took off, with countless appearances in plays, films, television, and commercials, his personal life became a tragic mess, a series of ill-fated marriages and legal problems. “Besides having that serious drinking problem, I had a deep anger within. I hated authority and I was often jailed for barroom fighting,” he says.

“It all came down on me in September 1977.1 was in Atlanta, broke, alone and very, very sick. I was literally dying from booze. And I believe I was saved by a profound spiritual experience, by the Grace of God. Everything changed for me that day.”

A year later Jones was cast as the good old boy sidekick “Cooter Davenport” in a new television show, “The Dukes of Hazzard.” It was an instant hit and has since become an international classic. And in the process, Jones says he picked up “Cooter” as a “permanent nickname.”

“We were the last heroes,” he says now. “The generation that grew up with us related to our show like I related to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers when I was a kid. The Dukes always made the right moral choices, the good guys always won, and nobody really got hurt. Great action, great comedy, and great fun.”

In 1986, after the Dukes ended, Jones turned to another passion: politics. “No one was going to challenge the incumbent Congressman,” he recalls. “And what is the point of having an election with only one name on the ballot? I jumped in and nearly won, although we were outspent by six to one. Two years later, I won with over 60% of the vote.”

In Washington he made himself a name as a moderate to conservative Democrat who specialized in transportation issues, veterans issues, and constituent services. He also got a reputation as an independent thinker, often bucking his own party on important issues. And it was in Washington that Jones met and married Alma Viator, a well-known public relations businesswoman.

He spent two terms in the U.S. House before his residence was redistricted out of his old district. Two years later he mounted a grassroots campaign against Newt Gingrich. “It was 1994, Newt’s year. He beat me easily, but in the course of that campaign his ethical problems popped up. I believe it was my ethics complaint that led to Newt’s ultimate demise. We were political rivals, but never doubt that he was and is an exceptional political player.”

“After that, when people asked me if I would ever run for office again, I would say ‘When Jonah got out of the belly of the whale, he didn’t go back for his hat!”’

Between 1993 and 1996, Jones had six major knee operations, including three knee replacements in his right leg. He became critically ill after developing a staph infection from the operations. “It was touch and go there for awhile. It was a tough couple of years because I couldn’t work. Alma and my friends got me through that patch.”

In 1996 he returned to Hazzard County for a reunion film. “From there I got more film offers. I did “Primary Colors”, “Meet Joe Black”, “Sliders”, “Joe Gould’s Secret” and several more projects. But I have never been comfortable in Hollywood, so I packed up and headed for the Blue Ridge Mountains. We found a wonderful home here in Rappahannock County”