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Robert Jones (Michigan politician)
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" B. Jones was a politician from the state of Michigan
. He served four consecutive terms as the Mayor of Kalamazoo from 1997 to 2005. A Democrat
, he was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives
in 2006 and 2008, representing the 60th District in Kalamazoo County, which includes the City of Kalamazoo, Cooper Township
and part of Kalamazoo Township
. He was a candidate for the Michigan Senate
's 20th district in the November 2, 2010 election, until his death just 16 days before.
on April 22, 1944. He attended public schools in Brooklyn
and graduated from John Jay High School in 1962. In 1966 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Fort Valley State University
in Georgia. A Master's Degree in chemistry was earned in 1971 at Clark Atlanta University
. At the time of his death, he was working on a Master of Business Administration
degree at Western Michigan University
.
For 28 years, he worked as a research chemist and a "fine chemicals" supervisor at The Upjohn
Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan
.
. He chaired the Commerce, and sat on Health Policy, Senior Health, Security and Retirement, and Tax Policy Committees.
Representative Robert Jones announced he would forgo a third term in the Michigan House of Representatives and would instead run for the vacated Michigan State Senate seat from current term limited Republican Tom George
. A formal announcement was made on Monday, July 20.
Robert Jones also had a political action committee
called Jones Advocating for Michigan which has raised $124,950 as of August 2008. Timothy Light
is one of the top contributors to Jones' PAC.
Church. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity; a life-time member of the NAACP; a member of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Local 10; a member of United Core of Mayors; a member of the National Brownfield Association; a member of the National League of Cities
; a member of the United States Conference of Mayors; and immediate past chair of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. In 2003, Jones received the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) Humanitarian Award.
Twenty months following a diagnosis of esophageal cancer, Jones collapsed and died at his home on W. Michigan Ave. the morning of Sunday, October 17, 2010, after attending an early-morning service at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. A large, public "home going celebration," with casket present, was held at noon on Thursday, October 28, 2010 in Western Michigan University
's Miller Auditorium
. Several local newspaper, radio, and TV outlets were present to cover the event live on-line. The casket was then flown to Jeffersonville, Georgia
, his birthplace, for burial.
Bob is survived by his wife, Callie Baskerville-Jones and their six children, Michelle (Moses) Sauceda in Georgia; Kenneth "Chris" Jones in Georgia; Jahim Baskerville in Massachusetts; Robert B. Jones, Jr. in Georgia; Jahdal Johnson in Kalamazoo; and Hari Johnson in Kalamazoo. He is also survived by grandson Joshua Sauceda and sister Lesteen Hill. A sister-in-law Marie Baskerville is in Connecticut while cousins Jerry and Gail Rumph and their children Victor, Quiana and Justin also survive.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He served four consecutive terms as the Mayor of Kalamazoo from 1997 to 2005. A Democrat
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...
, he was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives
Michigan State House of Representatives
The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2000 federal U.S. Census.Members are elected in...
in 2006 and 2008, representing the 60th District in Kalamazoo County, which includes the City of Kalamazoo, Cooper Township
Cooper Township, Michigan
Cooper Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,754 at the 2000 census. The township was organized in 1837.-Geography:...
and part of Kalamazoo Township
Kalamazoo Township, Michigan
Kalamazoo Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,675 at the 2000 census....
. He was a candidate for the Michigan Senate
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
's 20th district in the November 2, 2010 election, until his death just 16 days before.
Early life
Jones was born in Jeffersonville, GeorgiaJeffersonville, Georgia
Jeffersonville is a city in and the county seat of Twiggs County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,209 at the 2000 census.Jeffersonville is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
on April 22, 1944. He attended public schools in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and graduated from John Jay High School in 1962. In 1966 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University is a historically black university located in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is also a unit of the University System of Georgia and a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
in Georgia. A Master's Degree in chemistry was earned in 1971 at Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
. At the time of his death, he was working on a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
.
For 28 years, he worked as a research chemist and a "fine chemicals" supervisor at The Upjohn
Upjohn
The Upjohn Company was a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm founded in 1886 in Kalamazoo, Michigan by Dr. William E. Upjohn, an 1875 graduate of the University of Michigan medical school. The company was originally formed to make friable pills, which were specifically designed to be easily digested...
Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
.
Political career
Jones was elected mayor of Kalamazoo in 1997. As mayor, he presided over significant economic growth, focusing large amounts of money on attracting new developments in the downtown area. He was re-elected mayor three consecutive times, serving a total of 4 terms until 2005. In 2006, he was elected to the Michigan State House to replace term-limited Representative Alexander LipseyAlexander Lipsey
Alexander "Sandy" Lipsey is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives, he represented the 60th District from 2000 to 2006...
. He chaired the Commerce, and sat on Health Policy, Senior Health, Security and Retirement, and Tax Policy Committees.
Representative Robert Jones announced he would forgo a third term in the Michigan House of Representatives and would instead run for the vacated Michigan State Senate seat from current term limited Republican Tom George
Tom George
Thomas "Tom" George was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State Senate, he represented Kalamazoo County as well as an eastern portion of Van Buren County...
. A formal announcement was made on Monday, July 20.
Robert Jones also had a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
called Jones Advocating for Michigan which has raised $124,950 as of August 2008. Timothy Light
Timothy Light
Timothy Light was the fourteenth president of Middlebury College, 1990-1991.A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Light is a scholar in East Asian languages and literature...
is one of the top contributors to Jones' PAC.
Personal
Robert Jones married Callie Baskerville. Together, they had six children and one grandchild. Jones lived in Kalamazoo and was an active member of Mt. Zion BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity; a life-time member of the NAACP; a member of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Local 10; a member of United Core of Mayors; a member of the National Brownfield Association; a member of the National League of Cities
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....
; a member of the United States Conference of Mayors; and immediate past chair of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. In 2003, Jones received the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) Humanitarian Award.
Twenty months following a diagnosis of esophageal cancer, Jones collapsed and died at his home on W. Michigan Ave. the morning of Sunday, October 17, 2010, after attending an early-morning service at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. A large, public "home going celebration," with casket present, was held at noon on Thursday, October 28, 2010 in Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
's Miller Auditorium
Miller Auditorium
James W. Miller Auditorium is a performance venue at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. It opened on January 12, 1968, with a ceremony that included WMU's third president, James W...
. Several local newspaper, radio, and TV outlets were present to cover the event live on-line. The casket was then flown to Jeffersonville, Georgia
Jeffersonville, Georgia
Jeffersonville is a city in and the county seat of Twiggs County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,209 at the 2000 census.Jeffersonville is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, his birthplace, for burial.
Bob is survived by his wife, Callie Baskerville-Jones and their six children, Michelle (Moses) Sauceda in Georgia; Kenneth "Chris" Jones in Georgia; Jahim Baskerville in Massachusetts; Robert B. Jones, Jr. in Georgia; Jahdal Johnson in Kalamazoo; and Hari Johnson in Kalamazoo. He is also survived by grandson Joshua Sauceda and sister Lesteen Hill. A sister-in-law Marie Baskerville is in Connecticut while cousins Jerry and Gail Rumph and their children Victor, Quiana and Justin also survive.
Electoral history
- 2006 election for State House
- Robert Jones (D), 71%
- Armando Romero (R), 29%
- 2008 election for State House
- Robert B Jones (D), 74%
- Charles Ybema (R), 26%