His father was Hilary Pollard Jones, Sr. (1833–1913), who was a Colonel of artillery in the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War.

As a young Ensign, Hilary Jones was commended for his bravery and skill in helping to save Nipsic from sinking during the great Samoan hurricane of 1889.

In the next years he sailed in various ships of the fleet, rising to command the battleship Rhode Island in 1912.

During World War I Jones commanded patrol units and later a division of the Transport Force.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.