Ben Jones, good ol’ boy ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actor and 2-term US House member, dies at 84

Ben Jones, good ol’ boy ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actor and 2-term US House member, dies at 84 1 of 3 | Cooter, actor Ben Jones, sits atop one of the 229 hotrods, named the General Lee, used in the show “Dukes of Hazzard” as ecstatic fan, Aliceson Johnson, of Charlottesville, Va., sits in the drivers seat in front of his store in Sperryville, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1999. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) 2 of 3 | Congressional candidate Ben Jones, center, prepares to watch the Hawks-Pacers NBA game at the Omni arena Nov. 8, 1988, Atlanta, GA. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr., File) 3 of 3 | Ben Jones, Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, assembles campaign signs outside his headquarters in Roswell, Ga., Oct. 20, 1994. (AP Photo/Leita Cowart, File) 1 of 3 | Cooter, actor Ben Jones, sits atop one of the 229 hotrods, named the General Lee, used in the show “Dukes of Hazzard” as ecstatic fan, Aliceson Johnson, of Charlottesville, Va., sits in the drivers seat in front of his store in Sperryville, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1999. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) 1 of 3 Cooter, actor Ben Jones, sits atop one of the 229 hotrods, named the General Lee, used in the show “Dukes of Hazzard” as ecstatic fan, Aliceson Johnson, of Charlottesville, Va., sits in the drivers seat in front of his store in Sperryville, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1999. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 3 | Congressional candidate Ben Jones, center, prepares to watch the Hawks-Pacers NBA game at the Omni arena Nov. 8, 1988, Atlanta, GA. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr., File) 2 of 3 Congressional candidate Ben Jones, center, prepares to watch the Hawks-Pacers NBA game at the Omni arena Nov. 8, 1988, Atlanta, GA. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr., File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 3 | Ben Jones, Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, assembles campaign signs outside his headquarters in Roswell, Ga., Oct. 20, 1994. (AP Photo/Leita Cowart, File) 3 of 3 Ben Jones, Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, assembles campaign signs outside his headquarters in Roswell, Ga., Oct. 20, 1994. (AP Photo/Leita Cowart, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Ben Jones, who played the good ol’ boy mechanic in “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV series and parlayed his fame into a political career and two terms in the U.S. House, has died. He was 84.Jones had a heart attack in his home Sunday in Washington, Virginia, as he was waiting to watch his beloved Atlanta Braves play baseball, his wife, Alma Viator, said on social media. Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton confirmed his death.Jones’ fame came from his role as Cooter Davenport, the mechanic who got the Duke boys out of jams as they tried to do the right thing and fight the corrupt Boss Hogg in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia.After playing Cooter for all seven seasons of the series from 1979 to 1985, Jones turned to politics and was elected to the U.S. House from a district near Atlanta in 1988. The Democrat served two terms before he was redistricted out of the seat. Jones was born in North Carolina and in college got involved in acting and civil rights, he wrote in his autobiography “Redneck Boy in the Promised Land: The Confessions of ‘Crazy Cooter.’”Acting took over his life. Jones performed in numerous stage productions and had a few minor TV and movie roles in Atlanta during the 1970s before his life-defining break came on a TV show Jones defended as a modern-day morality tale and a fine example of Southern values.For seven seasons, Jones was one of a small band of friends and family helping Bo and Luke Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard.” The brothers were on probation for running moonshine and were constantly trying to clear their names and stop the crooked and powerful Boss Hogg from stealing or cheating.