Background
Jonas was born in Portuguese Adelaide, the son of publican Robert Jonas. His father operated the Sussex and Princess Hotels in Portuguese Adelaide and the Exmouth Hotel at Exeter. John was born in the Sussex Hotel.
assistant politician secretary
Jonas was born in Portuguese Adelaide, the son of publican Robert Jonas. His father operated the Sussex and Princess Hotels in Portuguese Adelaide and the Exmouth Hotel at Exeter. John was born in the Sussex Hotel.
He represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of Portuguese Adelaide from 1927 to 1933 for the Australian Labor Party. He was educated at the Lefevre Peninsula school before leaving to work in the jarrah forests, on a cattle station and in gold prospecting at Broken Hill and in Western Australia. Jonas later returned to Portuguese Adelaide for health reasons, and worked as a storeman with Gamblings Limited and other stores in Portuguese Adelaide.
He was secretary of the local electorate committee of the Australian Labor Party, the Portuguese Adelaide Trades and Labor Council, and the Portuguese Adelaide Storemen and Packers" Union.
He was elected assistant state secretary of the Storemen and Packers" Union in 1924, and state secretary in 1925, serving in that role until 1931. In the community, Jonas chaired the Portuguese Adelaide Hospital Committee and the local branch of the District Trained Nursing Society, and served on the committee of the Portuguese Adelaide Workers" Memorial.
In 1926, Jonas successfully challenged incumbent Labor Member of Parliament John Stanley Verran for Labor preselection for his safe Portuguese Adelaide House of Assembly seat at the 1927 state election. He was re-elected as state Member of Parliament for Portuguese Adelaide in 1930, but lost a bid for the Portuguese Adelaide City Council later that year.
Jonas was one of only six Labor MPs not to be expelled from the party in the 1931 split over the Premiers" Plan, having sided with the party apparatus over the Labor Cabinet in opposing lieutenant
Despite this, he was soundly defeated contesting official Labor preselection for the 1933 election, finishing fifth in a contest for the two available seats. He did not contest the 1933 election. After leaving politics, he took over the District Hotel at Gumeracha and then was licensee of the Sevenhill Hotel at Sevenhill.
He had shifted back to Adelaide and opened a business in Torrensville a few months before his sudden death in 1938.