William Atkinson Jones (March 21, 1849 – April 17, 1918) was a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives from 1891 to 1918 from the
first district of the Commonwealth of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
Early life
Jones was born in
Warsaw, Virginia
Warsaw is an incorporated Town in and the County Seat of Richmond County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,637 at the 2020 census and is estimated to be 2,281 as of 2022.
History
The original name of the Town was Richmond Courtho ...
on March 21, 1849 coming from honorable American stock. His great-grandfather, Joseph Jones, was a general in the
Revolutionary War, an intimate and trusted friend of
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
, and subsequently postmaster of
Petersburg, Virginia by appointment of
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
. Thomas Jones, the son of Joseph, married Mary Lee, the daughter of Richard Lee, long a member of the
Virginia House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
from
Westmoreland County, a first cousin of the famous
Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732June 19, 1794) was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence f ...
; and from this marriage was born Thomas Jones II, his father who married Anne Seymour Trowbridge of
Plattsburgh, New York. James Trowbridge, his maternal grandfather, was recognized by the Congress for his gallantry at the
Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814. He came from a good heritage, a heritage of which he never boasted, but which he exemplified by a life of high purpose and eminent usefulness.
[65th Congress 1919, pg. 13.]
Education
His boyhood fell during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. His father, a former soldier, lawyer, and a judge entered him as a cadet at the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
in
Lexington in the fall of 1864, where he remained until the
evacuation of Richmond, serving as occasion required with the corps of that famous institute in defense of the capital of his State. Thus, as a boy of 16 he did arduous and valiant military service. He was then placed in Coleman's School, at
Fredericksburg from which he entered the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
at
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
in October, 1868. He graduated with distinction in its
School of Law
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, l ...
in June, 1870. He was also a noted athlete in school.
He was admitted to the bar in 1870 and commenced practice in Warsaw, Virginia. He became a
Commonwealth attorney for several years.
Politics
Jones became active in the
Democratic Party politics and served as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention in 1880, 1896, and 1900. He was elected to thirteen consecutive Congresses beginning in 1891. From 1911 to 1918, he served as Chairman of the
House Committee on Insular Affairs, which had jurisdiction over areas including the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. He is best remembered as the House sponsor of the
Jones Act or the Philippine Autonomy Act, which promised ultimate independence to the Philippines. He also sponsored the
Jones-Shafroth Act, which modified the
Organic Act
In United States law, an organic act is an act of the United States Congress that establishes a territory of the United States and specifies how it is to be governed, or an agency to manage certain federal lands. In the absence of an organ ...
of Puerto Rico and conferred
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
on
Puerto Ricans.
Elections
Family
William Atkinson Jones was married to Claude Douglas Motley (b. 1864) of
James, Virginia on January 23, 1889 in
Lynchburg, Virginia.
[ The couple had a son, also named William Atkinson Jones, and a daughter, Anne Seymour. William Jr. became a lawyer like his father and served in World Wars I & II.
His grandson William A. Jones III also pursued a military career, and was awarded the ]Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
during the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
Death
On April 7, 1918, Jones was attacked by paralysis and was taken to George Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened on ...
in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
[ He remained unconscious from the day of the attack till he died on April 17, 1918. He was buried at the graveyard of St. John's Episcopal Church in Warsaw on April 19. The monument on his grave was paid for by the citizens of the Philippines as a token of gratitude for his support of their ]independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
by authoring the Philippine Autonomy Act enacted in 1916.[
His personal and official papers were donated to the Special Collections Library of the ]University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
and are open for research.
Memorials
Jones was well loved all over the Philippine archipelago for his work for the passage of the law that bears his name.[65th Congress 1919, pg. 86] A major bridge in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, Jones Bridge, was named after him. Construction of the bridge was started by the Americans in 1916 to replace the historical bridge, ''Puente de España
The Puente de España, or the ''Bridge of Spain'', was a bridge that spanned the Pasig River in the Philippines, connecting the areas of Binondo and Ermita, Manila on Calle Nueva (now E.T. Yuchengco St) with central Manila. The span was the olde ...
'' (Bridge of Spain), one block upriver after it was destroyed by flood in 1914. At the time of Jones's death the new bridge, which was still under construction, was named in his honor. The Philippine Legislature
The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular G ...
had appropriated funds for the erection of a mausoleum over his tomb in Warsaw, his home town, and a monument in Manila.[65th Congress 1919, pg. 61]
The new municipality of Jones, Isabela was named in his honor when it was inaugurated in 1921. The municipality of Banton, Romblon
Banton, officially the Municipality of Banton ( Bantoanon: ''Banwa it Banton'', Filipino: ''Bayan ng Banton'', formerly known as Jones), is a fifth-class municipality in the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
was renamed as Jones in 1918 in his honor but reverted to its old name in 1959.
See also
* List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)
References
Sources
*65th Congress
The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917, to ...
(1919)
"William Atkinson Jones Memorial Addresses"
The Joint Committee on Printing, Washington.
External links
Official Congressional bio
William A. Jones, late a representative from Virginia, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1917
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, William Atkinson
1849 births
1918 deaths
People from Warsaw, Virginia
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
19th-century American politicians
Deans of the United States House of Representatives