William Augustus Jones Jr. (January 24, 1927 - October 11, 2020) was an American prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as the eighth Bishop of Missouri, from 1975 to 1992.

Early life and education

Jones was born on January 24, 1927, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, the son of William Augustus Jones and Martha Wharton. He was educated at the Memphis High School, and then studied at Southwestern At Memphis from where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1948. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity after studies at the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1951. On August 26, 1949, he married Margaret Loaring Clark, and together had four daughters.

Ordained ministry

Jones was ordained deacon on January 1, 1952, by Bishop Edmund P. Dandridge of Tennessee, at St John's Church in

. He was ordained priest on July 25, 1952, by Bishop Theodore N. Barth, Coadjutor of Tennessee, at the Church of the Messiah in

Pulaski, Tennessee Pulaski is a city in and the county seat of Giles County, which is located on the central-southern border of Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,397 at the 2020 census. It was named after Casimir Pulaski, a noted Polish-born soldier ...

. He served as priest-in-charge of the Church of the Messiah until 1957, when he became curate at Christ Church in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. In 1958, he became rector of St Mark's Church in LaGrange, Georgia, while in 1965, he transferred to

Mountain Brook, Alabama Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Birmingham. Its population at the 2010 census was 20,413. History The city was originally developed in 1929 by real-estate businessman Robert Jemi ...

, to serve as associate rector of St Luke's Church. A year later, in 1966, he became the Director of The Association for Christian Training and Service in Memphis, a post he held until 1972. Between 1972 and 1975, he served as rector of St John's Church in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Joh ...

Bishop

On December 7, 1974, Jones was elected Bishop of Missouri during a special diocesan convention held at Christ Church Cathedral in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. He was consecrated on May 3, 1975, by Presiding Bishop John Allin. Bishop Jones was the first Bishop of Missouri to ordain a woman to the priesthood in 1976. He was also active in the Civil Rights movement in the South and fought for funds to continue hospital services for people in need in inner city

. Jones retired in 1992, and spent a year as a minister at St Margaret's Church in

Rainham, Kent Rainham ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, South East England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Gillingham. Historically, Rainham was a separate village until, in 192 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Jones died on October 11, 2020."William A. Jones Jr."
''Pulaski Citizen'', 16 October 2020. Retrieved on 24 October 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, William A. 1927 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians 21st-century American Episcopalians Jones Rhodes College alumni Yale University alumni