Thomas P. Jones was born in Herefordshire, England, in 1774, and emigrated to the United States before 1796. Trained as a physician, he became a popular lecturer and delivered speeches on a variety of scientific topics. In 1814, he joined the faculty of the College of William and Mary, and in 1824 he helped found the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jones became a professor of mechanics at the college and published The Franklin Journal and American Mechanics' Magazine (later known as Journal of the Franklin Institute . Jones joined the United States Patent Office as its interim head in 1828, and later worked as a patent examiner and patent solicitor. He also served as the chair of the chemistry department at Columbian College (now part of George Washington University). He and his wife had two children. Thomas P. Jones died on March 11, 1848.
From the guide to the Thomas P. Jones collection, Jones, Thomas P. collection, 1834-1848, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
