Mary Gardiner Jones (December 10, 1920 – December 23, 2009) was the first woman to serve as a member of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

of the United States, to which she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Biography

Born in Manhattan to a distinguished

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

family. Jones graduated from the Nightengale-Bamford School in 1939 and received a B.A. in history from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1943. She worked for the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

during World War II, where she was a research analyst in charge of the Swiss desk. She received a law degree from Yale Law School in 1948. Jones became a lawyer for the

Antitrust Division The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that enforces U.S. antitrust law. It has exclusive jurisdiction over U.S. federal criminal antitrust prosecutions. It also has jurisdic ...

of the United States Department of Justice in 1953. In that role, she presided over antirust and cartel cases, serving as chief counsel for ''United States v. Watchmakers of Switzerland Information Center, Inc.''(1955). She left government service to practice law in private practice in New York. On September 28, 1964, Jones was named by President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), initially through a recess appointment and subsequently through a Senate confirmation. Jones served on the commission until 1973 during both Republican and Democratic administrations. She was replaced on the FTC 1973 by Elizabeth Hanford (later Elizabeth Dole). In 1971, she was named as a potential nominee to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. In 1981, she served on the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

Commission on Fiscal Accountability of the National's Energy Resources, which presented a report to the White House on ways that national oil and gas royalties can be better tracked on public lands. Jones was a vocal consumer advocate. A liberal Republican during her time on the FTC, Jones became a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

later in life. In 2007, Jones released an autobiography, titled ''Tearing Down Walls: a Woman's Triumph''. In the book, she discusses the difficulty of breaking into the legal professional in the 1940s, during a time when few female graduates were offered roles as practicing attorneys. Jones died from congestive heart failure at her home in Washington, D.C. on December 23, 2009, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Mary Gardiner 1920 births 2009 deaths People from Manhattan Wellesley College alumni Yale Law School alumni Federal Trade Commission personnel American women civilians in World War II People of the Office of Strategic Services