Benjamin attended the public schools in Quincy. In 1853, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana; his maternal uncle, Abraham Block, was well known there, being an important figure in the nearby Red River settlements. He studied law at the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University). In 1855, he graduated, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in New Orleans.
Despite his family's strong Republican connections, Benjamin Jonas cast his lot with the South in the Civil War. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate States Army. He was a member of Fenner's Battery, and Adjutant of a Battalion of Artillery in
Hood's Corps in the Army of Tennessee.[1] He served till the end of the war, rising to the rank of major.
After the war, he returned to New Orleans and became active in state politics as a Democrat. In 1865, he was elected to the state House of Representatives, and served until 1868.
In 1872, he was elected to the State Senate, but declined to take the seat. In 1875, he was appointed city attorney of New Orleans, and served until 1879. He was again elected state Representative in 1876.
In 1879, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and served from March 4, 1879 to March 4, 1885. In the 46th Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. He sought another term in 1884, but was not re-elected.
In 1885, he was appointed Collector of the port of New Orleans, serving until 1889. He then resumed the practice of law.
Jonas died in New Orleans on December 21, 1911, and was buried in Dispersed of Judah Cemetery (listed in Historic Cemeteries of New Orleans).
He was the second Jewish U.S. Senator from Louisiana, the first having been Judah P. Benjamin (1853–1861), and the third Jewish Senator overall, the others being Benjamin and David Levy Yulee of Florida (1845–1851, 1855–1861). However, both Yulee and Benjamin married Christian wives, and did not openly practice Judaism afterward.[2] Jonas was the first practicing Jew in the Senate. Jonas was also the first Ashkenazi Jew in the Senate; while the two previous Jewish senators were of Sephardic descent, as were the majority of U.S. Jews at the time. He was a member of The Boston Club of New Orleans.[3]
