Elizabeth Ames Jones
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Ames Jones is one of the three members of the elected Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory body that oversees the oil
and natural gas
industries in Texas — as opposed to railroads, as its name suggests. Prior to her appointment to the commission, she was elected three times to the Texas House of Representatives
from District 121 in Bexar County
.
, Texas
, Jones graduated from Alamo Heights High School
. In 1978, she earned a degree in journalism
from the
University of Texas at Austin
.
. In the Republican primary election
, she ousted Representative Bill Siebert
, who had held the seat since 1993. Siebert's work as a lobbyist was denounced by the San Antonio Express-News
, which urged voters to "clean house and dump [Siebert}, the local GOP
's biggest embarrassment."
Jones was re-elected to the state House in 2002 and 2004, then stepped down in January 2005 to accept an appointment by Governor Rick Perry
to fill a vacancy on the Railroad Commission. The position opened when Charles R. Matthews, the former mayor of Garland
, Texas, resigned to become chancellor of Texas State University in San Marcos
.
During Jones's tenure in the legislature, she served as Chairman of Budget and Oversight for the Energy Resources Committee and served on committees such as the Appropriations, Local and Consent Calendars, and Select School Finance. She was elected Vice Chair of the House Republican Caucus during her second term, the first woman ever elected to a leadership position in the Caucus.
Sworn into the office of railroad commissioner on March 2, 2005, Jones became the third woman to serve as Chairman in the Commission's history and was elected to serve a six-year term in November 2006. She represents the Railroad Commission on the Coastal Coordination Council and is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
On November 3, 2008 she filed Forms 1 and 2 with the Federal Election Commission
to register as a candidate for the United States Senate seat held by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
when Senator Hutchison's term expires in 2012 or whenever an election is held to fill the vacancy if Senator Hutchison resigns the seat early. She could face an intraparty battle against fellow Republican candidates in the special Senate race, which could have included former fellow Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams
who had announced for the race, but later dropped out. Her colleagues on the commission are David J. Porter
of Lee County and Barry Smitherman of Houston
, who fills the Williams seat under appointment of Governor Perry.
that she would be running for the United States Senate
. On November 7, 2011, Jones announced that she would be ending her U.S. Senate campaign and instead run for the Texas state senate
seat for District 25
against incumbent Jeff Wentworth
.
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
industries in Texas — as opposed to railroads, as its name suggests. Prior to her appointment to the commission, she was elected three times to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from District 121 in Bexar County
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
.
Early life and education
A native of San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Jones graduated from Alamo Heights High School
Alamo Heights High School
Alamo Heights High School is a secondary school located in the city of Alamo Heights, Texas and is the only high school in the Alamo Heights Independent School District....
. In 1978, she earned a degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from the
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
Career
In 2000, then politically unknown, Jones was first elected to represent District 121 in the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. In the Republican primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, she ousted Representative Bill Siebert
Bill Siebert
William Earl Siebert, known as Bill Siebert , is a businessman in San Antonio, Texas, who is a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives from Bexar County, having served from 1993 to 2001....
, who had held the seat since 1993. Siebert's work as a lobbyist was denounced by the San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
, which urged voters to "clean house and dump [Siebert}, the local GOP
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...
's biggest embarrassment."
Jones was re-elected to the state House in 2002 and 2004, then stepped down in January 2005 to accept an appointment by Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
to fill a vacancy on the Railroad Commission. The position opened when Charles R. Matthews, the former mayor of Garland
Garland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
, Texas, resigned to become chancellor of Texas State University in San Marcos
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
.
During Jones's tenure in the legislature, she served as Chairman of Budget and Oversight for the Energy Resources Committee and served on committees such as the Appropriations, Local and Consent Calendars, and Select School Finance. She was elected Vice Chair of the House Republican Caucus during her second term, the first woman ever elected to a leadership position in the Caucus.
Sworn into the office of railroad commissioner on March 2, 2005, Jones became the third woman to serve as Chairman in the Commission's history and was elected to serve a six-year term in November 2006. She represents the Railroad Commission on the Coastal Coordination Council and is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
On November 3, 2008 she filed Forms 1 and 2 with the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
to register as a candidate for the United States Senate seat held by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
when Senator Hutchison's term expires in 2012 or whenever an election is held to fill the vacancy if Senator Hutchison resigns the seat early. She could face an intraparty battle against fellow Republican candidates in the special Senate race, which could have included former fellow Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams
Michael L. Williams
Michael Lawrence Williams is a former member of the elected Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory body over, not railroads, but the oil and natural gas industries. Williams is the first African American to hold a statewide elected executive office in Texas history. He was appointed to the...
who had announced for the race, but later dropped out. Her colleagues on the commission are David J. Porter
David J. Porter
David Jerome Porter , a Certified Public Accountant, is a member of the Texas Railroad Commission. Formerly in a private CPA practice in Midland in Midland County, Porter has since relocated to Giddings in Lee County, Texas.-Background:...
of Lee County and Barry Smitherman of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, who fills the Williams seat under appointment of Governor Perry.
Marriage and children
She and her husband, William C. Jones, IV, are the parents of two children.2012 Texas state senate campaign
In 2008, Elizabeth Ames Jones announced in Bryan, TexasBryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
that she would be running for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. On November 7, 2011, Jones announced that she would be ending her U.S. Senate campaign and instead run for the Texas state senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
seat for District 25
Texas Senate, District 25
District 25 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Kendall counties, and portions of Bexar and Travis counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
against incumbent Jeff Wentworth
Jeff Wentworth
Earl Jeffrey "Jeff" Wentworth is a Republican member of the Texas Senate since 1993. He succeeded Republican Cyndi Taylor Krier , who instead became the Bexar County judge...
.
External links
- RRC Commissioner - Elizabeth Ames Jones
- Elizabeth Ames Jones Senate campaign website