Stephanie Tubbs Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – August 20, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Doc Hastings |
| Succeeded by | Gene Green (Acting) |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's11th district | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – August 20, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Stokes |
| Succeeded by | Marcia Fudge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephanie Tubbs (1949-09-10)September 10, 1949 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 2008(2008-08-20) (aged 58) East Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Case Western Reserve University (BA,JD) |
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (September 10, 1949 – August 20, 2008)[1][2][3] was an American politician who served as theU.S. representative forOhio's 11th congressional district from 1999 until her death in 2008. A member of theDemocratic Party, her district encompassed most of Downtown and EasternCleveland and many of the eastern suburbs inCuyahoga County, includingEuclid,Cleveland Heights andShaker Heights. She was the firstAfrican American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio.
On December 19, 2006, Tubbs Jones was named Chairwoman of theHouse Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for the110th Congress. She was also a member of theHouse Ways and Means Committee. On August 19, 2008, Tubbs Jones was found unconscious in her car, having suffered acerebral hemorrhage caused by a rupturedaneurysm. She was taken to anEast Cleveland hospital, where she died the next day.[4]
Tubbs Jones was born inCleveland, the daughter of Mary, a factory worker and cook, and Andrew Tubbs, an airline skycap.[5] She graduated from the city'sCollinwood High School. She earned an undergraduate degree fromCase Western Reserve University, graduating with a degree in Social Work from the Flora Stone Mather College in 1971. In 1974, she earned aJuris Doctor from theCase Western Reserve University School of Law.[6]
On November 27, 1976, she married Mervyn L. Jones. Less than a year before they married, Mervyn Jones had been charged with aggravated murder and robbery. He eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser count of manslaughter and received "shock probation."[7] The couple were married for 27 years until Mervyn's death, October 2, 2003. They had one son, Mervyn Leroy Jones Jr. Tubbs Jones was a member ofDelta Sigma Theta sorority. She was actively involved in the National Five Point Thrust Programs of hersorority, particularly Social Action and Political Awareness as an integral part of "Delta Days at the Nations Capital".
Tubbs Jones was Golden Life Member of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Tubbs Jones was elected a judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court (1981) and subsequently served on theCourt of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County (1983–91).
In 1990, she ran for Justice of theSupreme Court of Ohio replacing Mary Cacioppo, the winner of the Democratic Primary, who withdrew for health reasons. She narrowly lost that race toRepublican incumbentJ. Craig Wright.[8]
She then served as the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1991 until resigning in early 1999 to take her seat in Congress. She was the first African American prosecutor in Ohio history, and during her tenure she was the only black woman to serve as prosecutor in any major American city.[9] She was succeeded as prosecutor byWilliam D. Mason.
Tubbs Jones served as board member ofHawken School from 1996–2004.
In 1998, Tubbs Jones won the Democratic nomination for the 11th congressional district after 30-year incumbentLouis Stokes announced his retirement. This all but assured her of election in the heavily Democratic, black-majority 11th. She won with 80 percent of the vote and was reelected four times with no substantive opposition.[10]
Tubbs Jones was a co-chairwoman of theDemocratic National Committee. She opposed the Iraq war, voting in 2002 against the use of military force. Despite representing a heavily unionized district, she was a strong proponent of free trade. Tubbs Jones most recently took a lead role in the fight to pass theUnited States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement in November 2007.
In 2004, she served as the chairwoman of the platform committee at theDemocratic National Convention and as a member of the Ohio delegation. She strongly supported Sen.John Kerry in his campaign to become President of the United States. On January 6, 2005, she joined U.S. SenatorBarbara Boxer (D-CA) in objecting to the certification of the2004 U.S. presidential election results for Ohio.
As the sponsor, she was one of the 31 who voted in the House to not count the 20electoral votes from Ohio in the2004 election.[11] Republican President George Bush won the state by 118,457 votes.[12]
In 2005, she came under fire from certain individuals[specify] after being named the congressperson with the fourth-highest (59)[13] total trips sponsored by lobbyists.[citation needed] She was selected by SpeakerNancy Pelosi as chairperson of theHouse Ethics Committee to watch over the standards of ethical conduct for members of the House. Tubbs Jones was popular in her district, and was routinely reelected against nominal Republican opposition. She received 83.44% of the vote in her final general election in 2006, againstRepublican Lindsey String. She faced no opposition in the 2008 Ohio Democratic primary.
Tubbs Jones appeared onThe Colbert Report's "Better Know a District" in an episode which aired November 3, 2005. In the skit, Colbert suggested she create a spin-off vehicle for herself as "Judge Tubbs." She became a good friend of the show after the broadcast. Colbert paid tribute to Tubbs Jones at the close of his August 27, 2008 broadcast by airing her "Judge Tubbs" footage.[14]
Tubbs Jones was a strong and early supporter ofHillary Clinton in Clinton's run for president in the2008 Democratic presidential primary. She later supportedBarack Obama after Clinton conceded.
In 2002, Tubbs Jones publicly praisedBarbara Byrd-Bennett while she was CEO of the Cleveland Municipal School District,[15] who over a decade later became a confessed, convicted felon due to fraud she committed while she was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools.[16]
On August 19, 2008, while driving her car, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones suffered acerebral hemorrhage due to a burstaneurysm in her brain. Police had noticed erratic driving and identified the unconscious Tubbs Jones after her vehicle left the roadway and came to a stop in a field.[17][18][19] She was taken to theintensive care unit ofHuron Hospital, a satellite of theCleveland Clinic, where she was put onlife support. Due tohemorrhaging, she remained in unstable and criticalcondition.[20][21][22]
Tubbs Jones died August 20 at 6:12 p.m. EDT of complications from the brain hemorrhage.[2][3] Aspecial election was ordered by Ohio GovernorTed Strickland for November 18, 2008, to elect a successor to serve out the remainder of her term.[23][24]Warrensville Heights MayorMarcia Fudge, the Democratic nominee, won the election.[25]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | 115,226 | 80% | James Hereford | 18,592 | 13% | Jean M. Capers | Independent | 9,477 | 7% | |||||||||
| 2000 | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | 164,134 | 85% | James J. Sykora | 21,630 | 11% | Joel C. Turner | Libertarian | 4,230 | 2% | Sonja Glavina | Natural Law | 3,525 | 2% | |||||
| 2002 | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | 116,590 | 76% | Patrick Pappano | 36,146 | 24% | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | 222,371 | 100% | (no candidate) | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | 146,799 | 83% | Lindsey N. String | 29,125 | 17% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 11th congressional district 1999–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee 2007–2008 | Succeeded by Gene Green Acting |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
