Peter Lawson Jones (born December 23, 1952) is an American actor, philanthropist and politician 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 ...

. A resident of

Shaker Heights, Ohio Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 29,439. Shaker Heights is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland, abutting the eastern edge of the city's limits. In July 1911, ...

, he formerly served as a county commissioner in

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

Early years

Jones was born December 23, 1952 to Charles and Margaret Jones, who paid twenty percent over asking - the black tax - to buy a house in Shaker Heights. When asked to not pay the higher fee, his mother was said to have responded, "My son is going to Shaker schools because I understand they’re very good." He received his AB magna cum laude from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1975, and his

juris doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Harvard in 1980. He was admitted to the Ohio State Bar in November 1980.

Political career

Jones served on the Shaker Heights city council, and in 1994, he was the running mate for gubernatorial candidate Rob Burch. He served as a state representative from 1997 to 2002. In February 2002, after county commissioner Jane Campbell was elected mayor of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party appointed Jones to replace her on the commission. Jones has extensive professional and community affiliations, and works at the law firm Roetzel & Andress in addition to his legislative duties. In 2007, Jones made news with two dissenting votes on major decisions. He opposed the sales tax increase for Cuyahoga County from 7.5% to 7.75%. The tax, earmarked to pay for a new convention center and medical mart, was passed by a 2–1 vote (

Jimmy Dimora James C. Dimora (born June 21, 1955) is an American politician who served as Cuyahoga County Commissioner from 1998 until 2010, and as chairman of the county Democratic Party from 1994 until 2009. Before being elected county commissioner, Dimora s ...

and

Tim Hagan Timothy Hagan (born March 18, 1946) is an American politician who served as Cuyahoga County Commissioner and other local offices from the 1980s through 2000s, and was his party's nominee for the governorship of Ohio in 2002. Early life Hagan was ...

voted for it), and it took effect on October 1, 2007. Jones also opposed the demolition of the

Ameritrust Tower The 9 Cleveland is a residential and commercial complex located in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, at the corner of East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue. It includes three buildings, the largest of which is a 29-story, tower commonly kno ...

, which the county bought as a potential location for a new administration building, but later decided to sell. On January 26, 2009, WKYC's Tom Beres reported that Jones was considering running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen.

George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...

. He decided not to run and then endorsed

Lee Fisher Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio, with Governor Ted Strickland, from 20 ...

in both the primary and the general election. In November 2009, the voters of Cuyahoga County replaced the county commission form of government with a charter form of government with an elected county executive.

Acting career

After loosening his ties to the political realm, Jones started acting in many independent films in the Cleveland area.

Philanthropy

Jones created the Charles & Margaret Jones Scholarship Fund at College Now Greater Cleveland in honor of his late parents' legacy and commitment to education.

Filmography

Film

Television

Playwright

References

External links

Cuyahoga County official biography
1952 births Living people County commissioners in Ohio Male actors from Cleveland Politicians from Cleveland Politicians from Shaker Heights, Ohio Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Ohio Harvard Law School alumni African-American lawyers Lawyers from Cleveland County officials in Ohio 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people {{ohio-politician-stub