Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones Dead at 58 (Photos, Bio) 1949-2008

Jones died on Wednesday night after suffering a cerebral aneurysm on Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 11th District of Ohio was found unconscious in her car on August 19, 2008. Jones was driving erratically and crossed several lanes of traffic before her car came to a stop, according to police reports.

Rep. Jones was rushed to Huron Hospital, a satellite of the Cleveland Clinic in East Cleveland. She remained in intensive care until her death on Wednesday evening, August 20, 2008.

Jones received her Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve Univ. School of Law in 1974. Jones was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones was elected a judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1981 and went on to serve on the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County from 1983-1991. She served as the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1991 until early 1999 when she was elected to Congress.

The congresswoman was the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. She was a strong advocate for economic development, delivery of health care and quality education for all. Jones hailed from the heavily Democratic, black-majority 11th District of Cleveland. She had been reelected four times with no serious opposition.

Jones was the co-chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She was also a superdelegate who was planning to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado next week. A staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton, she endorsed Barack Obama after the Clinton bid ended.

The congresswoman was selected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as chairperson of the House Ethics Committee to watch over the standards of ethical conduct for members of the House.

She is survived by a son Mervyn Jones Jr. She is proceeded in death by her husband of 27 years, Mervyn Jones Sr., who died in 2003.

Jones is the second close associate of Hillary Clinton to die unexpectedly in the past week. Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney, 49, was shot and killed in his office by a gunman on August 13. Details available here.

More photos below - click to enlarge.