Samuel Leon Jones (born April 14, 1947) is an American politician who is a member of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

representing district 99. Jones was the first African-American mayor of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, serving from September 2005 until August 2013. He ran on a platform of safety, efficient government,

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

and bringing new employers to the city.

Early life and education

Jones is a graduate of Central High School and attended Florida Junior College and

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College u ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, Florida.

Career

Jones served for nine years in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, where he served aboard the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

USS ''Forrestal''. While there, his commanding officer was

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, future senator from Arizona and presidential candidate. After leaving the Navy, Jones worked as the

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of Mobile Community Action, Inc. from 1980 until 1987. Getting involved in politics through 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 ...

, he was elected to four terms as a

Mobile County Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its po ...

Commissioner. In September 2005 he ran for Mayor of Mobile and was elected. He served two four-year terms, winning re-election in 2009. On August 27, 2013, Jones was defeated by Sandy Stimpson in the 2013 mayoral election. On October 29, 2013, the Mobile City Council unanimously voted to pass a resolution to rename Mobile Government Plaza the Samuel L. Jones Government Plaza for his service to the city. Official renaming of the building is pending approval by the Mobile County Commission. In 2018, Jones was elected to the

, representing District 99.

References

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External links

Living people African-American mayors in Alabama African-American state legislators in Alabama County commissioners in Alabama Jacksonville University alumni United States Navy sailors Mayors of Mobile, Alabama Alabama Democrats Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama 1947 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people African-American United States Navy personnel {{Alabama-mayor-stub