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MELVIN JONES
FOUNDER OF LIONISM
1879/1961
Melvin Jones was born on January 13, 1879 at Fort Thomas Arizona,
the son of United States Army Captain who commanded a troop of
scouts. Later his father was transferred and the family moved east.
As a young man, Jones made his home in Chicago, Illinois, became
associated with an Insurance firm and in 1913 formed his own agency.
He soon joined the Business Circle, a businessmen’s luncheon group
and was shortly elected secretary. This Group was of many at this
time devoted solely to promoting the financial interest of their
membership. Because of their limited appeal, they were destined to
disappear. Melvin Jones, however had other plan.
“What if these men,” he asked “Who are successful because of their
drive, intelligence and ambition were to put their talents to work
improving their communities?” Thus, at his invitation, delegates
from men’s Club met in Chicago to lay the groundwork for such an
organization and on June 7, 1917, Lions International was born. It was
stipulated that clubs were not social in nature nor were members
permitted to promote their own business interests.
Jones eventually abandoned his Insurance agency to devote full time
to Lions at International Headquarters in Chicago. It was under his
dynamic leadership that Lions Clubs earned the prestige necessary
to attract civic-minded men.
Lionism’s Founder was also recognized as a leader outside the
Association. One of his greatest honour was in 1945 when he
represented Lions International as consultant in San Francisco at the
organization of the United Nations.
Melvin Jones, the man whose personal code, “You can’t get very
far until you start doing something for somebody else,” became a
guiding principle for public spirited men the world over, died on June
1, 1961, at 82 years of age.

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