William Leon Jones (born December 20, 1949) is a U.S. politician who served as the 27th Secretary of State of California, and was the unsuccessful Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in her bid for a third term in 2004.

Born in Coalinga, California, Jones earned his bachelor's degree in agribusiness and plant sciences from California State University, Fresno in 1971.

Jones was a California State Assemblyman from 1983 to 1995 and served as the Republican State Assembly Leader during the 1991-1992 session. During his term in the State Assembly, Jones authored Proposition 184 , California's three-strikes law, which passed with the 71.9% of the people voting to support it.

Jones left the State Assembly after being elected the Secretary of State, serving in that office from 1995 to 2003. During his tenure, he was the first California Secretary of State to place campaign finance information on the Internet.

Jones defeated former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin in the 2004 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Jones lost the General Election to Senator Barbara Boxer.

External link

• Official Web Site of the Bill Jones Senate Campaign