Barrett Jones

Barrett Jones, former city manager for Columbia and Cookeville, died Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the age of 92. A native of Sioux Falls, N.D., Jones earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and then a master’s in governmental administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S Army and was stationed in Verdun, France. In 1971, he was selected as the city manager of Columbia and served until 1986. He also served as the first city manager for the city of Cookeville from November 1988 until June 1990. Outside of Tennessee, he served in municipal positions in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Arkansas. He was a member of the International City/County Management Association, past president of the Tennessee City Management Association, and founding chairman of the Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management Pool (now Public Entity Partners).