 At the time of his death, he was chairman of the Hospital Board.The death on 17 December 1886 of John Coster, who represented the Heathcote electorate in parliament, caused the February 1887 Heathcote by-election.There were several people interested in standing in the electorate, including the former Heathcote MP Henry Wynn-Williams, but with Jones and the current Mayor of Christchurch, Aaron Ayers considered as the only contenders of having a chance of success, most other candidates withdrew from the contest.