Stephanie Tubbs Jones: From Cuyahoga County to Congress

CLEVELAND -- U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is the colorful, outspoken, strong-willed, nationally known representative from Ohio's 11th District.

According to a Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman, Tubbs Jones died just before 7 p.m. Wednesday after she apparently suffered a massive brain aneurysm the night before while she was driving alone in Cleveland Heights.

Tubbs Jones, 58, reportedly never regained consciousness after police pulled her car over while it was heading northbound near Burlington Road near Forest Hill Park, then the car began drifting into the southbound lanes.

Police then found her unconscious behind the wheel. She was taken to Huron Hospital in nearby East Cleveland, where she died Wednesday.

An aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge of a blood vessel caused by disease or the weakening of the vessel wall. They most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and in the main artery coming from the heart and, if the bulge bursts, it can result in death.

The 2008 Democratic National Convention kicks-off Monday in Denver. Tubbs Jones was set to be a superdelegate at the convention. She was one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's biggest supporters during the Democratic primaries. She threw her support to Barack Obama in June.

The Clintons issued a statement that said, "There are few words to express the shock we feel at this time. Our deepest condolences are with Stephanie's son, Mervyn, her family, and her many loved ones, friends, and supporters. Stephanie's friendship meant the world to us, a friendship that deepened through every trial and challenge. We could always count on her to be a shoulder on which to lean, an ear to bend, a voice to reassure. Over the course of many years, with many ups and many downs, Stephanie was right by our side-unwavering, indefatigable. It was that fighting spirit-safely stowed behind her disarming smile, backed by so much integrity and fiery intelligence-that allowed Stephanie to rise from modest beginnings, to succeed in public service, to become a one-woman force for progress in our country. All of us who were lucky to know her and love her can only hope now to live like her-to be as passionate, loyal, hard charging, and joyful in life's pursuits. Stephanie was one of a kind. We will miss our friend always."

Tubbs Jones was also in the midst of planning for an upcoming forum on electoral reform, scheduled for Sept. 4 at Cleveland State University. She was also scheduled to leave Cleveland Sunday for the convention.

She was married to Mervyn L. Jones, Sr., who died of heart failure Oct. 2, 2003, for 27 years and they had one son, Mervyn Leroy Jones II.

Tubbs Jones was a lifelong resident of the 11th District, her congressional district, which encompasses most of the East Side of Cleveland, parts of the West Side of Cleveland and parts of 22 suburbs.

She was in her fifth term in office, up for re-election in November and was the current chairwoman of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics).

Tubbs Jones was running for her sixth consecutive term, this time against Republican Thomas Pekarek.

A lifelong Democrat, she established her district office on Warrensville Road in Shaker Heights. She was the co-chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones made history even before she was elected as the first African-American woman in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.

She was elected the first African-American and the first female prosecutor in Cuyahoga County (1991-1999), stepping down to take her congressional seat.

She was the first African-American woman to sit on the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court bench (1983-1991).

She was also elected a municipal court judge for the City of Cleveland in 1981.

Tubbs Jones has always said she is a proud graduate of Cleveland public schools and a Collinwood High School graduate.

She received her undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University, graduating with a degree in social work from the Flora Mather College in 1971.

She received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1974.

She has received honorary doctorates from David N. Myers University, Notre Dame College of Ohio and Central State University.

She was a lifelong member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio and was a member of their Board of Trustees.

Tubbs Jones served on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and was a member of numerous Congressional Caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus.

She succeeded Congressman Louis R. Stokes, her mentor and a 30-year incumbent, when he retired.

The most recent piece of legislation that she introduced was the "Count Every Vote" Act of 2005, which seeks to provide an all-encompassing solution to a broad range of voting irregularities that occurred during the 2004 presidential election.

She had been the original co-sponsor of multiple significant pieces of legislation, including healthcare for low and middle-income families and community reentry for ex-felons.