Preceded by Ron Lurie Name Jan Jones Succeeded by Oscar Goodman Role Businesswoman | Political party Democratic Education Stanford University Alma mater Stanford University Party Democratic Party | |
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Full Name Janis Lyle Laverty Born March 16, 1949 (age 75)
Los Angeles, California, U.S. ( 1949-03-16 ) Spouse(s) Fletcher Jones, Jr. (divorced)
Dana Blackhurst Profession Businesswoman and politician Residence Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area | ||
Jan Laverty Jones (born Janis Lyle Laverty, later Blackhurst; March 16, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician. She was mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1991 to 1999 and the first woman to serve as mayor of Las Vegas. Jones is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Biography
Jones was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from Stanford University in 1971. She became a recognized figure in Las Vegas in the 1980s, appearing as a spokeswoman in television commercials for her family's supermarket chain, Thriftimart, and later a car dealership owned by her then-husband, Fletcher Jones Jr.
In 1990, she ran for mayor; she was elected, and served two terms. Jones ran for Nevada governor twice, losing significantly in the Democratic primary to then-incumbent Bob Miller in 1994, and losing the general election in 1998 to Kenny Guinn. In 1999, she chose not to run for a third term as mayor.
Jones is currently senior vice president of communications and government affairs with Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment Corporation (formerly Harrah's Entertainment) and sits on the board of directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Personal life
She is married to her second husband, Dana Blackhurst, an education advocate for learning disabilities who has headed several schools over the years, including Camperdown Academy (Greenville, South Carolina), Pine Ridge School (Williston, Vermont) and The Chandler School (also Greenville, South Carolina), which he founded.