William Jones was born in Paysandú; his father was an Englishman and his mother was a native of Uruguay. He took up the sport of rowing and joined the local Club Remeros Paysandú in his youth. In 1946, Jones competed at the Royal Henley Regatta in the Diamond Challenge Sculls event, falling to defeat in his heat by Arthur Gallagher of the United States. Two years later, Jones was selected to represent his country at the Olympic Games in London and competed alongside club teammate Juan Rodríguez in the double sculls event, serving as the stroke. The pair would go on to capture the bronze medal, behind Denmark and champion Great Britain pair.
Jones immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and settled in the Miami area. He worked in autobody for a Cadillac dealership. In 2003, he returned to Uruguay where he and Rodríguez were honoured by the Uruguayan Olympic Committee at an event along with all living Uruguayan Olympic medallists. Married with one son, Jones later resided around Citrus County, Florida until his death in 2014 at the age of 89.
Uruguay