Robert McDonald Jones was a Choctaw senator and prominent Confederate politician. He was born in Mississippi and later relocated to Indian Territory. He was educated at the Choctaw Academy in Blue Springs, Kentucky, where he received a diploma signed by future Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson. During the removal of the Choctaw to Indian Territory, he accepted a contract and worked as translator for the United States to the tribe. He also led a removal party that included a large party of livestock. After removal, Jones opened several trading posts along the Red River. In addition to stores, Jones ran several large plantations, growing cotton and several other crops. In 1849, Jones exported 700 bales of cotton, which he shipped to New Orleans in one of his two steamships. Jones built two sprawling mansions on his plantations Lake West and Rose Hill, complete with luxurious furnishings from around the world. According to the 1860 census, Jones owned over 230 slaves, though some have argued that he owned as many as 500.