William Jones (1760 – September 6, 1831) was an American politician, merchant, and naval administrator who served as the 4th United States Secretary of the Navy, acting Secretary of the Treasury, and President of the Second Bank of the United States.
Early Life and Military Service
Jones was born in Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania. He was apprenticed in a shipyard as a youth. During the American Revolutionary War, he saw combat in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton as a member of a volunteer company, and later served at sea in the Continental service.
Political and Business Career
After the war, Jones became a successful merchant in Charleston, South Carolina, and later in Philadelphia. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st district, serving from March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1803. In 1801, he was offered the position of Secretary of the Navy but declined, choosing to remain in Congress until the end of his term. He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1805.
Secretary of the Navy
With the War of 1812 underway, Jones accepted the position of Secretary of the Navy in January 1813. His policies contributed significantly to American success on the Great Lakes and to a strategy of coastal defense and commerce raiding on the high seas. Near the end of his term in late 1814, he made recommendations for the reorganization of the Navy Department, which led to the establishment of the Board of Commissioners system that operated from 1815 until 1842.
Acting Secretary of the Treasury and Bank President
From May 1813 to February 1814, Jones concurrently served as acting Secretary of the Treasury. In 1816, he was appointed as the first President of the Second Bank of the United States, serving from January 7, 1817, to January 25, 1819. He returned to commercial pursuits in 1819.
Death and Legacy
Jones died in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on September 6, 1831. The destroyer USS William Jones (DD-308) was named in his honor.
