Guide Note

Emil Jones is president of the Illinois State Senate. The 72-year-old is one of the state's leading black politicians and an important advocate for education reform. Jones has also been a staunch ally of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and a mentor to—and supporter of—Barack Obama. On August 18, 2008, Jones Jr. announced that he would not seek re-election in November and will retire when his term runs out in January.¹

A controversy involving Jones erupted at the 2008 Democratic Convention. Delmarie Cobb, a member of Hillary Clinton's delegation, claimed that Jones had called her an "Uncle Tom" at the end of a heated argument over the Democratic primaries.² Jones denied using the term, claiming that he had called Cobb a "doubting Thomas."³

Fast Facts

1. Born October 18, 1935
2. Has lived on South Side of Chicago all his life
3. 1960 volunteered for JFK presidential campaign
4. 1972 elected to Illinois House of Representatives
5. 1982 elected to Illinois Senate.
6. 1993 selected as Senate Minority Leader
7. 2003 elected president of Illinois Senate
8. Has called himself Obama’s “godfather”

A one-time Chicago sewer-inspector, Jones made his first foray into politics as a volunteer for the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1972 and to the state Senate in 1982.¹

An instrumental figure in Barack Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate win, Jones took Obama under his wing, introducing him to influential people and letting him work on important legislation. The Jones-Obama relationship has come under scrutiny by some national media outlets and it has been suggested that Obama's legislative successes in Illinois were a product of Jones' influence. Jones' alleged nepotism, as well as his opposition to certain anti-corruption legislation, have been noted as potential embarrassments for Obama.¹

Jones has been accused of nepotism, steering state money to institutions that employ his relatives,¹ and has stated that he would like his son to take over his post.⁴

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