Biography:Ella Jones

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Short description: Mayor of Ferguson, Missouri, USA
Ella Jones
12th Mayor of Ferguson
Assumed office
June 17, 2020
Preceded byJames Knowles III
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Missouri–St. Louis (BA)

Ella Jones (born 1955) is an American chromatographer, pastor, and politician who serves as the 12th mayor of Ferguson, Missouri. A former member of the Ferguson City Council, Jones is the first African-American and woman elected mayor of the city.[1][2]

Education

Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Career

Prior to entering politics, Jones was a high-pressure liquid chromatographer. She worked at the Washington University School of Medicine and KV Pharmaceutical before becoming a sales director with Mary Kay. In April 2015, Jones was elected to the Ferguson City Council, where she represented the city's first ward.[3][4] In February 2020, Jones was selected to serve on the United States Environmental Protection Agency Local Government Advisory Committee.[5]

In the 2017 municipal election, Jones ran for mayor, receiving 42.77% of the vote. It was the city's first election after the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent Ferguson unrest.[6]

In the June 2, 2020, mayoral election, Jones defeated fellow council member Heather Robinett. Jones succeeded incumbent James Knowles III, a Republican who was unable to seek re-election due to term limits.[7][8] On June 17, 2020, Jones was sworn in as the first black and female mayor of Ferguson.[9][10] On April 4 2023, Jones was re-elected as mayor of Ferguson, winning a second term by 21 votes.[11]

She is also a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.[2]

Electoral history

2020 Ferguson Mayoral Election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ella Jones 1,504 53.9%
Democratic Heather Robinett 1,286 46.1%

Personal life

Jones moved to Ferguson, Missouri with her husband, Tim. Tim Jones died in 2013.[13] Jones has one daughter.[2]

See also

  • List of first African-American mayors

References

  1. ↑ Rose, Andy (3 June 2020). "Ferguson elects first black mayor in city's history". https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/ferguson-first-black-mayor-ella-jones/index.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Medina, Jennifer (2020-06-03). "Ella Jones Is Elected First Black Mayor of Ferguson" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/politics/ella-jones-ferguson-mayor.html. 
  3. ↑ "Two Black Candidates Elected to Ferguson City Council". NBC News. April 7, 2015. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-black-candidates-elected-ferguson-city-council-n337626. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  4. ↑ "About us – Ella Jones for Mayor of Ferguson" (in en). https://ellamjonesformayor.com/about-us/. 
  5. ↑ "EPA Administrator Appoints Ferguson, Missouri, City Council Member Ella M. Jones to EPA Local Government Advisory Committee on Small Community Subcommittee" (in en). 2020-02-25. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-administrator-appoints-ferguson-missouri-city-council-member-ella-m-jones-epa. 
  6. ↑ "St. Louis County, Missouri". http://www.stlouisco.com/Portals/8/docs/document%20library/elections/eresults/el170404/el45.htm. 
  7. ↑ Schlinkmann, Mark (3 June 2020). "Ella Jones becomes the first African American and first woman elected mayor of Ferguson" (in en). https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ella-jones-becomes-the-first-african-american-and-first-woman-elected-mayor-of-ferguson/article_4fcddeed-9586-571c-b88a-bbcae3c71f70.html. 
  8. ↑ "Ferguson elects its first black and first woman mayor" (in en-US). 3 June 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ella-jones-ferguson-elects-first-black-first-woman-mayor-michael-brown-protests/. 
  9. ↑ Zotos, Alexis (June 17, 2020). "Ella Jones sworn in as first Black woman mayor of Ferguson". KMOV4. https://www.kmov.com/news/ella-jones-sworn-in-as-first-black-woman-mayor-of-ferguson/article_efdcb0a0-b108-11ea-a563-6738c47d4b88.html. Retrieved August 7, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jason. "Ferguson Elects Its First African American Mayor" (in en). https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/ferguson-elects-its-first-african-american-mayor. 
  11. ↑ "Ferguson Mayor wins 2nd term by 21 votes". First Alert 4. April 5, 2023. https://www.firstalert4.com/2023/04/05/ferguson-mayor-wins-3rd-term-by-21-votes/. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  12. ↑ Ferguson 2020 Mayoral Election
  13. ↑ Ruiz, Michelle (July 2020). "Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones on Making History and the Power of Black Female Leaders" (in en-us). https://www.vogue.com/article/ella-jones-ferguson-missouri-mayor-interview. 



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