Leonard "Live-Forever" Jones (July 3, 1797 – August 30, 1868) was an American citizen and frequent High Moral Party candidate for President and the Governorship of Kentucky, notable for his running on the immortality through morality platform. Specifically, he taught that anyone could achieve immortality through a regimen of prayer and fasting. Further to all this, he claimed to have the ability to "melt diamonds"[1], among other powers.
Biography by Rev. J.W. Cunningham, originally printed in Scott's Monthly Magazine (1868)
Leonard Jones was born in Virginia, July 3rd, 1797; came to Uniontown, Kentucky, with his parents in 1804; in young manhood was a land speculator, and amassed a considerable fortune; was engaged to be married to a lady of high social position in Central Kentucky. The engagement was broken off, and he then moved to Indiana, and turned his thoughts to reljgion. Disappointment in love seems to have been the cause of this strange and erratic course in life.
He joined the United Brethren, then the Methodists, and next the Shakers at Pleasant Hill, in Mercer County, Ky., all within a few years.
While among the Shakers, he fell in love with "Sister Nancy," the former wife of Brother John. He told John and Nancy of his passion. John became greatly incensed, and Nancy cut up a little, but was really not much displeased.
To cure his love fit he entered upon a fast of forty days, and soon became so weakened as to take his bed. The brethren endeavored to induce him to give up his fast, and he consented to do so, on condition that "Sister Nancy would feed him with her hands." She prepared him a savory meal, and set it on a table beside him. He eagerly devoured it, and "was much refreshed".
Remembering that he had eaten from a table, and not the fair sister's hand, he entered upon a second fast, vowing he never would eat again "till Nancy fed him with her own hands." Thereupon she became enraged, and declared "she would not feed him to save his life;" and, said he, "I broke my fast, as the condition could not be complied with."
John and Nancy subsequently returned to "the world," and spent the residue of life in happy wedlock.
Mr. Jones conveyed to the Shakers five thousand acres of land in Illinois, east of St. Louis, now very valuable. At the age of thirty-eight and a half years he left the Shakers, having spent six and a half years with them.
Soon after he encountered a Mormon preacher, and was baptized, but not receiving the promised gift of tongue, he immediately gave up Mormonism. He next encountered a strange genius named McDaniel, who was preaching that "man by faith can live forever" in this lower world. He immediately embraced the "live forever doctrine." He and McDaniel laid off "the capital city of the world," where Columbus, Ky., now stands, where all of the "live-forever faithful" were to dwell — where death, coffins and graveyards were to be unknown. A contest for supremacy arising between the two, it was determined to decide the question by looking each other steadily in the eye, with their noses about twelve inches apart. The one that quaked under the other's eye was to be subordinate. Like two enraged cats, they glared upon each other for two hours, when "one proposed an armistice, and the other agreed to it," but, said he, "we never found it convenient to resume hostilities."
"You have no idea," he continued, "how painful a two hours gaze into another man's eyes is. It is absolutely awful."
The city laid c fl, he and McDaniel started East to nioke converts, but the latter took sick and died in the State of Ohio. The death of McDaniel shook Leonard's faith for a few weeks, and he was "very much embarrassed when he came to preach the funeral" of his deceased co-laborer in the liveforever gospel.
With the death of McDaniel the new gospel and the capital city failed, but Mr. Jones continued to avow his faith in the truth of his theory, and affirmed that he would never die.
In 1850 he called upon the writer (Rev. J.W. Cunningham) to pray for him in an attack of cholera. His request was complied with, and after his recovery he claimed "great credit for not dying," saying that his faith had saved his life.
After the death of McDaniel, he turned his attention to politics. He thought the politics of the nation needed reforming, and that he was the chosen of the Lord to effect the needed reformation. He eschewed existing politics, and became the head of the "High Moral" Party. No man was to fill the offices except on 'High Moral principles.' He ran for Congress in the Paducah district, but was defeated by Lynn Boyd. He ran in after years successively, but not successfully, for Congress in several other districts, but received but few, if any votes, being generally regarded as a religious and political madman. Wearied with Congressional defeats, he next aspired to the Presidency, and [was] been a "standing candidate for that office for twenty years."
[Eighteen years ago (in 1850?)] he told the writer that God was working for him; that He had removed Gen. Taylor from the office which belonged to himself; had killed Sir Robert Peel, of England, because he persuaded Queen Victoria from complying with his demand upon her to arouse the British nation in his behalf, and had removed Bishop Bascom because he refused to enlist the Methodist Church in behalf of the 'High Moral' aspirant. He has invoked the aid ot preachers of all churches in behalf of his 'High Moral' scheme, and has denounced them all as apostate, because they did not enlist the churches in his behalf.
He also had it in contemplation to run for the United States Senatorship in Massachusetts.
[Jones] was a regular church-goer, dividing his time among the churches, always taking a front seat, aud sometimes "speaking in meeting." None of our Bishops have visited Louisville without hearing of or encountering him.
He attended the courts, and sometimes demanded a hearing as a lawyer in behalf of some person or cause that awakened his sympathies, and sometimes got in jail by his untimely interference. He attended all the lectures, and occasionally was disposed to wrangle with the lecturer. A political meeting was not held in his section without his presence, and he often claimed his "say" among the speakers. Religiously, he was demonstrative, if allowed so to be, and politicaly, as a speaker, he was "uproarious." He roared liked one possessed; he jumped up and down, stamped, kicked, clapped, thumped, and with his heavy cane whacked with vigor the stand before him.
During the late war he was an earnest Southern sympathizer. While in Minnesota he made a speech against the draft in a court house where it was going on, for which he was taken out of the house and soundly kicked by several loyal citizens. He said he did not mind the physical discomlort of the loyal kicking administered to him, but he gravely objected to "the indignity of being kicked."
Except on the subject of polities and religion, there was no appearance of insanity about him; but on those two themes he was thoroughly insane, and yet his madness was never of such a character as to awaken the remotest thought on the part of any one to commit him to the lunatic asylum. His illness was brief, and he adhered to the last in his belief that he would never die, but would soon be well again. He died peacefully, and received a decent burial.
Leonard "Live-Forever" Jones by the McFing9