James Robert Jones
Encyclopedia
James Robert "Jim" Jones (born May 5, 1939) is a lawyer
, a Democratic
politician
, a retired U.S. Congressman
from Oklahoma
, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
.
Jones grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma
and was involved in politics at an early age. He worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Ed Edmondson
and as Appointments Secretary to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
.
In 1972, after returning to Oklahoma, Jones ran for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
. He won the election and was re-elected six times. During his tenure in Congress, which lasted until 1987, Jones served four years as the Chairman of the House Budget Committee.
. By the age of 12, Jones was campaigning for Ed Edmondson
's bid for Congress. He received his B.A.
degree
in 1961 from the University of Oklahoma
, where he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity. Jones was accepted at Georgetown University Law Center
(in Washington, D.C.
) and graduated with a law degree (LLB) in 1964.
Jones enlisted and served in the U.S. Army Reserve (from 1961 to 1968) and also served briefly in the Army Counterintelligence Corps (at the rank of Captain, from 1964 to 1965). Jones was also admitted to the Oklahoma bar
in 1964 and commenced his practice of law
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
job was as the legislative assistant for Congressman Ed Edmondson
(1961–1964) . Then, in 1965, Jones moved from the United States Congress
to the White House
where he served as Appointments Secretary (Chief of Staff
) to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
, the youngest person to hold that position (until Johnson left office in January, 1969).
in . He gave Belcher only his second credible reelection contest ever, holding him to 55 percent of the vote—a surprisingly close margin, considering that Belcher was ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.
Jones was priming for a rematch in 1972, but Belcher didn't have the stomach for another bruising contest and pulled out of the race in June. The Republicans recruited Tulsa Mayor Jim Hewgley
as a replacement. However, Jones won the November election by a fairly convincing 11-point margin—a surprising result, considering that Richard Nixon
easily carried the 1st in the presidential election (Nixon won Tulsa with a staggering 78 percent of the vote). Jones was re-elected six times, serving until January 1987.
As a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Jones secured House backing for a conservative tax cut in 1978. In 1979, he joined the House Budget Committee. Jones also was able to get Democrats to add more fiscal conservatives to the Budget Committee.
Jones decided to give up his House seat in 1986 and to run against Republican
incumbent
U.S. Senator Don Nickles
, even though he'd been nearly defeated for reelection to his House seat by future Governor
Frank Keating
two years earlier. He lost by 11 points.
(1989 to 1993). After the election of Democratic President Bill Clinton
, Jones was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
and served from 1993 until 1997. In February, 2003, he was inaugurated Chairman of the World Affairs Councils of America
.
Presently, he is a resident of Tulsa and Washington, D.C. He is a partner in the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, a retired U.S. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
United States Ambassador to Mexico
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.S. envoy to Mexico in 1825. The rank...
.
Jones grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
and was involved in politics at an early age. He worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Ed Edmondson
Ed Edmondson (U.S. politician)
Edmond "Ed" Augustus Edmondson was a U.S. politician from Oklahoma.-Early life:He was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he attended public school before going on to attend Muskogee Junior College. Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1940, he joined the Federal Bureau of...
and as Appointments Secretary to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
.
In 1972, after returning to Oklahoma, Jones ran for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
Oklahoma's First Congressional District is in the northeastern corner of the state and borders Kansas. It is largely coextensive with the Tulsa metropolitan area. It includes all of Tulsa County Washington County, Wagoner County, and parts of Rogers County and Creek County...
. He won the election and was re-elected six times. During his tenure in Congress, which lasted until 1987, Jones served four years as the Chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Early life and career
Jones was born and educated in Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
. By the age of 12, Jones was campaigning for Ed Edmondson
Ed Edmondson (U.S. politician)
Edmond "Ed" Augustus Edmondson was a U.S. politician from Oklahoma.-Early life:He was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he attended public school before going on to attend Muskogee Junior College. Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1940, he joined the Federal Bureau of...
's bid for Congress. He received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in 1961 from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, where he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
Fraternity. Jones was accepted at Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
(in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) and graduated with a law degree (LLB) in 1964.
Jones enlisted and served in the U.S. Army Reserve (from 1961 to 1968) and also served briefly in the Army Counterintelligence Corps (at the rank of Captain, from 1964 to 1965). Jones was also admitted to the Oklahoma bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1964 and commenced his practice of law
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
Political staffer
Jones first important politicalAmerican politics
American politics is an area of study within the academic discipline of political science. It is primarily, but not exclusively, studied by researchers in the United States...
job was as the legislative assistant for Congressman Ed Edmondson
Ed Edmondson (U.S. politician)
Edmond "Ed" Augustus Edmondson was a U.S. politician from Oklahoma.-Early life:He was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he attended public school before going on to attend Muskogee Junior College. Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1940, he joined the Federal Bureau of...
(1961–1964) . Then, in 1965, Jones moved from the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
where he served as Appointments Secretary (Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
) to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, the youngest person to hold that position (until Johnson left office in January, 1969).
Congressional service
After Johnson left office, Jones returned to Oklahoma and resumed his law practice in Tulsa. In 1970, he ran against 10-term incumbent Republican Page BelcherPage Belcher
Page Henry Belcher was a Republican politician and a U.S. representative from Oklahoma.-Biography: Belcher was born in Jefferson in northern Oklahoma to George Harvey Belcher and Jessie Ray. He was educated at public schools in Jefferson, and Medford, Oklahoma...
in . He gave Belcher only his second credible reelection contest ever, holding him to 55 percent of the vote—a surprisingly close margin, considering that Belcher was ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.
Jones was priming for a rematch in 1972, but Belcher didn't have the stomach for another bruising contest and pulled out of the race in June. The Republicans recruited Tulsa Mayor Jim Hewgley
James M. Hewgley, Jr.
James Marion Hewgley, Jr. was the Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1966 to 1970. He was named to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1993.-External links:*...
as a replacement. However, Jones won the November election by a fairly convincing 11-point margin—a surprising result, considering that Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
easily carried the 1st in the presidential election (Nixon won Tulsa with a staggering 78 percent of the vote). Jones was re-elected six times, serving until January 1987.
As a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Jones secured House backing for a conservative tax cut in 1978. In 1979, he joined the House Budget Committee. Jones also was able to get Democrats to add more fiscal conservatives to the Budget Committee.
Jones decided to give up his House seat in 1986 and to run against Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
U.S. Senator Don Nickles
Don Nickles
Donald Lee Nickles is an American businessman and politician who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 until 2005. He was a fiscal and social conservative.-Early life:...
, even though he'd been nearly defeated for reelection to his House seat by future Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
two years earlier. He lost by 11 points.
Work after Congress
In 1987 Jones resumed the practice of law. He later served as the Chairman of the American Stock ExchangeAmerican Stock Exchange
NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...
(1989 to 1993). After the election of Democratic President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Jones was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
United States Ambassador to Mexico
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.S. envoy to Mexico in 1825. The rank...
and served from 1993 until 1997. In February, 2003, he was inaugurated Chairman of the World Affairs Councils of America
World Affairs Councils of America
The World Affairs Councils of America represents and supports the largest national non-partisan network of local councils that are dedicated to educating, inspiring and engaging Americans in international affairs and the critical global issues of our times. The network consists of 94 councils in 40...
.
Presently, he is a resident of Tulsa and Washington, D.C. He is a partner in the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm of more than 400 attorneys and other professionals founded in 1965. The firm earned revenues of nearly $260 million in 2010...
.
Agreed to serve on The Constitution Project's Guantanamo Task Force
Jones agreed to serve on The Constitution Project's Guantanamo Task Force in December 2010.See also
- Politics of OklahomaPolitics of OklahomaPolitics of Oklahoma takes place in a framework of a presidential republic modeled after the United States, whereby the Governor of Oklahoma is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform two-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Governor and the government...
- Oklahoma Democratic PartyOklahoma Democratic PartyThe Oklahoma Democratic Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. Along with the Oklahoma Republican Party, it one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics....
- Oklahoma Congressional DistrictsOklahoma Congressional DistrictsAs of the 2000 census, there are five Oklahoma United States congressional districts. Previous to the 2000 Census, Oklahoma had six congressional districts. Oklahoma was one of eight states to lose one seat in the House of Representatives that year....
- United States Ambassador to MexicoUnited States Ambassador to MexicoThe United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.S. envoy to Mexico in 1825. The rank...