William Jones (governor)
| William Jones | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 8th Governor of Rhode Island | |
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In office May 1, 1811 – May 7, 1817 |
|
| Lieutenant | Simeon Martin Jeremiah Thurston |
| Preceded by | James Fenner |
| Succeeded by | Nehemiah R. Knight |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 8, 1753 Newport, RI |
| Died | April 9, 1822 (aged 68) Providence, RI |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
William Jones (October 8, 1753 – April 9, 1822) was the eighth Governor of Rhode Island from 1811 to 1817. He was a Federalist.
Jones was born in Newport, Rhode Island, into a family of Welsh origin. His grandfather Thomas Jones (1691–1740) was born in Wales and settled in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Pearce) Jones. William was the fourth of five children.
In January 1776, at age 23, Jones was commissioned as Lieutenant in the Babcock/Lippitt regiment from Rhode Island. By September he became captain. He joined George Washington at Harlem Heights in October, just after the battle; then fought in the Battle of White Plains; the Battle of the Assunpink Creek and the Battle of Princeton. In February 1777 he returned to Rhode Island.
In February 1778 Jones was commissioned as captain of Marines on board the Providence and served until the end of the war.
By right of his service in the Continental Army and Marine Corps, Jones became an original member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati.
After the war, he became a justice of the peace.
Jones was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1807. He was Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives two terms, in 1809-10 and 1810-11. Jones was a Federalist and won the gubernatorial election against incumbent James Fenner in 1811 by just a few hundred votes. He was re-elected five times, but having been defeated when seeking a seventh term, he retired from the public life. He was the only Federalist ever to serve as Governor of Rhode Island.
On February 28, 1787, Jones was married to Anne Dunn, daughter of Samuel Dunn, of Providence. He had one child, Harriet, who went on to marry Thomas C. Hoppin.
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