| Elizabeth Ames Jones | |
|---|---|
| 44th Texas Railroad Commissioner | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office March 2, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles R. Matthews |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 121st district |
|
| In office 2000–2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Siebert |
| Succeeded by | Joe Straus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elizabeth Ames October 29, 1956 San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | William C. Jones, IV |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | San Antonio, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | Railroad commissioner |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Website | http://www.elizabethamesjones.com/ |
Elizabeth Ames Jones (born October 29, 1956[1]) 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.
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A native of San Antonio, Texas, Jones graduated from Alamo Heights High School. In 1978, she earned a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
In 2000, then politically unknown, Jones was first elected to represent District 121 in the Texas House of Representatives. 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."[2]
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.[3] 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,[4] 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.[5] 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.
She and her husband, William C. Jones, IV, are the parents of two children.
In 2008, Elizabeth Ames Jones announced in Bryan, Texas 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.[6]
| Preceded by Bill Siebert |
Texas State Representative from District 121 (Bexar County)
Elizabeth Ames Jones |
Succeeded by Joe Straus |
| Preceded by Charles R. Matthews |
Texas Railroad Commissioner
Elizabeth Ames Jones |
Succeeded by Incumbent |