Jones, William (1760-1831) Secretary of the Navy: William Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1760. At the age of 16, he joined a volunteer company, and was present at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. He later entered the Continental Navy, serving under Com. Truxtun on the James River. After entering the merchant service, he lived in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1790 to 1793. He returned to Philadelphia in 1793, and was elected to the US Congress as a Democratic-Republican from 1801 to 1803. President Madison appointed Jones Secretary of the Navy in 1813, a position he held until December of 1814. He later became president of the US Bank, and collector of the port of Philadelphia. Jones was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and published a work called "Winter Navigation on the Delaware." He died on September 5, 1831, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.