Jan Laverty Jones

Janis Lyle "Jan" Laverty Jones, also known as Jan Jones Blackhurst (born March 16, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician. She was mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1990 to 1999 and the first woman to serve as mayor of Las Vegas. Jones is a member of the Democratic Party.

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 an open seat for mayor 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^[1] 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. She is married to Dana Blackhurst, an education advocate for learning disabilities who has headed several schools over the years including Camperdown Academy in Greenville, SC, Pine Ridge School in Williston, VT, and The Chandler School in Greenville, South Carolina which he founded.^[2]

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