Gary Jones is a United States businessman and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from Oklahoma. He is the former

Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector The Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is an elected Constitutional officer for the U.S. State of Oklahoma. The State Auditor and Inspector is responsible for auditing and prescribing bookkeeping standards of all government agencies and count ...

Personal

Jones was born in

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

, the fifth of seven children. He graduated from

Cameron University Cameron University is a public university in Lawton, Oklahoma. It offers more than 50 degrees through both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology, and graduate and professional ...

in 1978 with a Bachelor of Business Administration/Accounting degree. Jones is both a certified public accountant and a

certified fraud examiner The Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) is a credential awarded by the ''Association of Certified Fraud Examiners'' (ACFE) since 1989. The ACFE association is a provider of anti-fraud training and education. Founded in 1988 by Dr. Joseph T Wells. The A ...

. While in college, Jones worked for

Southwestern Bell Southwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as other d.b.a. names in its operating region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and portions of Illinois. The company is cu ...

. After 10 years Jones left to start his own telecommunications company, which he sold 16 years later. Jones has operated a

cow-calf operation In rail transport, a cow-calf (also cow and calf) locomotive is a set of switcher-type diesel locomotives. The set usually is a pair; some 3-unit sets (with two calves, also known as herds) were built, but this was rare. A cow is equipped with ...

for over 30 years in addition to his other ventures. In 1994 Jones successfully ran for Comanche County Commissioner, a seat he held for four years. Prior to his successful 2010 bid for State Auditor and Inspector, Jones unsuccessfully sought the office in both 2002 and 2006, losing both times to Jeff McMahan. In 2003 he was named chairman and Executive Director of the

Oklahoma Republican Party The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling ...

and held the office longer than anyone prior, until resigning to make his successful bid for State Auditor and Inspector. In 2017, Gary Jones announced he would be a Republican candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018. Gary Jones placed 5th in a 10-man primary that was held on June 26, 2018. He received almost 6% of the vote.

Electoral history

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Gary 1955 births 21st-century American politicians Cameron University alumni Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Living people Oklahoma Republicans People from Fort Sill, Oklahoma State Auditors of Oklahoma