William Atkinson Jones
| William Atkinson Jones | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 1891 – April 17, 1918 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas H. B. Browne |
| Succeeded by | S. Otis Bland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 21, 1849 Warsaw, Virginia |
| Died | April 17, 1918 (aged 69) Warsaw, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | lawyer, legislator |
| Religion | Episcopalianism |
William Atkinson Jones (March 21, 1849 – April 17, 1918) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1891 to 1918.
Jones was born in Warsaw, Virginia, and graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia in 1870. He became active in Democratic Party politics and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880, 1896, and 1900.
Jones 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 and Puerto Rico, and is best remembered as the House sponsor of the Jones Act, which promised ultimate independence to the Philippines, and of the Jones-Shafroth Act which modified the Organic Act of Puerto Rico and conferred United States citizenship on Puerto Ricans.
Jones died in 1918. His personal and official papers were donated to the Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia and are open for research. He is buried in the graveyard of St. John's Episcopal Church in Warsaw; the marker over his grave was paid for by the citizens of the Philippines in gratitude for his support of their independence as sponsor of the Philippine Autonomy Act in 1916.
The Jones Bridge in Manila was named in his honor. Formerly known as Puente de Espana (Bridge of Spain) and first built in 1701, the bridge was rebuilt by the Americans in 1916 and renamed it after Jones. The municipality of Jones, Isabela is also named in his honor.
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