Tishaura Jones

Tishaura Oneda Jones ( ; born March 10, 1972) is an American politician who served as the 47th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Missouri Democratic Party, Jones previously served from 2008 to 2013 in the Missouri House of Representatives, and as Treasurer of the City of St. Louis from 2013 to 2021.

Born in St. Louis to a former city comptroller, Jones studied at Hampton University in Virginia, returning to St. Louis upon graduating in 1994. Following a failed attempt to start a restaurant that left her bankrupt, she entered nursing, graduating from the Saint Louis University College for Public Health with a Master of Health Administration in 2001 and working for Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital for two years.

A self-described progressive, Jones entered politics in 2002, when she was appointed to the Democratic Party Central Committee for St. Louis's eighth ward. In 2008, she was elected to represent Missouri's 63rd District in the state legislature, defeating independent candidate Nels Williams with 85.4 percent of the vote. She ran unopposed for re-election to the House in 2010.

In 2012, Jones ran for St. Louis Treasurer and won the general election with 77.9 percent of the vote. She was re-elected to the office in 2016 and 2020.

Jones was elected as Mayor of St. Louis in the 2021 mayoral election, narrowly defeating St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer with 51.7 percent of the vote, becoming the first African-American female mayor in the city's history. In the 2025 mayoral election, a rematch of the 2021 election, Jones lost to Spencer in a landslide, garnering 35.83% of the vote.

Early life and education Tishaura Oneda Jones was born on March 10, 1972, in St. Louis to Virvus and Laura Jones. Her father was a former comptroller for the city. Jones graduated from Affton High School in 1990 and enrolled in Hampton University, an historically black college in Hampton, Virginia. At Hampton, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She graduated from the school with a Bachelor of Science in finance in 1994. In 2001, Jones earned a Master of Health Administration degree from the Saint Louis University College for Public Health. In 2015, she completed the State and Local Government program at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Early career In 1995, after graduating from Hampton University, Jones applied for a liquor license for a restaurant she was starting in the Central West End called Sugar's Place. The restaurant was unsuccessful, folding after about a year, and caused her major financial problems for years to come. Jones told The St. Louis Business Journal that her financial problems came during a "tumultuous time" in her life, as she had taken on debt from the restaurant, her father had been convicted on two counts of fraud in 1995, and her mother was dying of cancer, and said declaring bankruptcy "was the only way" to avoid financial ruin. When she ran for mayor in 2017, Steven M. Barney, who had mentored her at Cardinal Glennon, wrote that Jones did an "outstanding" job at the hospital and had "appropriate assertiveness."

Jones began her political career in 2002, when she was appointed to the Democratic Party Central Committee for St. Louis's eighth ward. Since 2004, Jones has served as the committee's serjeant-at-arms.

Missouri House of Representatives (2009–2013)

On November 4, 2008, Jones was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives over independent candidate Nels Williams to represent the state's 63rd district. There was no Republican challenger for the seat, and Jones received 85.4 percent of the vote. Her father, Virvus, managed her campaign. In the House, she served on several committees, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, the Health Insurance Committee, and the Special Standing Committee on Election Contests.

From March 2010 to June 2011, Jones also worked as the Vice President of Municipal Finance at the minority-owned, Oakland-based investment firm Blaylock Robert Van. Jones said that the group "stood and waited to be recognized for two hours" but "never got a chance to speak on an issue that is unique to women."

St. Louis Treasurer (2013–2021)

Jones served as St. Louis Treasurer between January 1, 2013, and her election as mayor in April 2021.

2012 Treasurer Election In 2012, Jones ran for the position of Treasurer of St. Louis. Her father, Virvus, once again served as her campaign manager. Jones was among four Democratic challengers in the primary election. On July 26, following the Post-Dispatch editorial board's endorsement of Fred Wessels Jr. for treasurer, in which they argued Jones was not qualified enough for the position, she responded to the paper through an interview with The St. Louis American. On August 8, she won the Democratic primary, with Wessels coming in second place. After winning the Democratic primary, Jones said her first step as treasurer would be to conduct an independent audit to "see where all the bodies are buried, where the ghosts are" and said the office would undergo a "total house cleaning" of office staff. She also said she would look into offshoring jobs in the treasurer's office to see if that was more cost-effective.

First term (2013-2017) Jones was sworn in on January 1, 2013, becoming the first woman to serve as treasurer. One of the "ghost" workers under Williams, Fred W. Robinson, was convicted on charges of wire fraud and submitting false timesheets and was sentenced to two years in prison. Within one month of taking office, Jones fired Robinson and four other employees who were accused of not doing their jobs and costing the city money.

During her time as treasurer, Jones was credited with transforming the office from a bureaucratic seat into a position of advocacy. Koran Addo of the Post-Dispatch noted how Jones had changed the public perception of the treasurer's office and expanded its role:

In the past, the treasurer's office was viewed as a low-profile position a sleepy politician could use to coast into retirement. Under Jones, the office has become something of an advocacy center for financial literacy, offering programs to help people better manage their money and using revenue from parking meters to help needy kids save for college. She was re-elected to a second four-year term as treasurer on November 8, 2016, with 76.6 percent of the vote.

Second term (2017-2021) In 2017, KMOV reported that Jones had taken 50 trips during her first term as treasurer, including trips to attend conferences and meetings in Chicago, Las Vegas, New York City, Paris, and Washington, D.C. All the trips had been at least partially reimbursed by the city for a total of over $27,000. The report prompted calls for an investigation by two members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen who alleged the majority of trips were taken for Jones's political benefit. The issue was brought to a circuit court, which ruled in favor of Jones, finding she did not violate city ordinance.

Third term (2021) In her 2020 campaign for a third term as treasurer, Jones was endorsed by Democracy for America, Planned Parenthood, The St. Louis American's editorial board, and the United Auto Workers, as well as by Representative Ayanna Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren. On November 3, 2020, Jones was re-elected with 77.6 percent of the vote. Her third term was cut short due to her election as mayor of the city.

Mayor of St. Louis Jones was elected as Mayor of St. Louis in 2021. She previously ran in the 2017 St. Louis mayoral election, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by moderate Lyda Krewson. On November 4, 2020, after being elected treasurer for a third term, Jones announced she would once again campaign for the mayor's office. She won the 2021 mayoral election against St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer on April 7, 2021, and was sworn in on April 20. She is the third African-American, the second woman, and the first African-American woman to hold the position.

2017 St. Louis mayoral campaign

alt=Black-and-white photograph of a yard sign promoting Jones's 2017 mayoral campaign, reading "Tishaura O. Jones for Mayor #OneStLouis" A grassroots group of supportive activists calling themselves "Draft Tishaura" helped convince Jones to run for Mayor of St. Louis in 2017. During the campaign, she received endorsements from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Democracy for America, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, MoveOn, and the Young Democrats of St. Louis, The race was noted for its low turnout, On April 4, Krewson won the general election.

During the campaign, Jones was notably a target of criticism by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board, which ultimately endorsed Antonio French. She alleged that many of the Post-Dispatch attacks against her were racist, such as a January 21 editorial calling her "high-flying", which she took to mean as a dog whistle for "uppity", and a January 25 column by editorial editor Tod Robberson arguing that the top priority for a mayoral candidate would be to "address blight and abate the graffiti that's killing our city." On February 9, less than one month before the city's Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election, Jones penned an open letter to Robberson, published in The St. Louis American, where she declined an invitation to speak to the editorial board, accused the newspaper of "thinly veiled racism" in its attacks on her, and criticized the editorial board for not having any African-American members. The letter was viewed by over 250,000 people within a few days, and following the letter's publication, Jones's campaign raised $36,000 in 48 hours. CityLab Brentin Mock commented that the letter had "become a viral sensation." Jones, alongside Cara Spencer, advanced from the primary election and competed in the general election on April 6, 2021. Jones defeated Spencer in the runoff, becoming the second woman to serve as St. Louis mayor, after incumbent Lyda Krewson, who did not seek re-election.

Hidden|Endorsements for Tishaura Jones|

Mayor of St. Louis (2021–2025) On April 20, 2021, Jones was sworn in as St. Louis' first African-American female mayor during a ceremony held in the City Hall rotunda. That same day, she put forward her administration's budget proposal, which included closing the city's medium-security penitentiary known as The Workhouse. On April 23, Jones announced the formation of an advisory panel to assess how to spend funds St. Louis will receive from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. On June 17, the Workhouse was closed, with detainees being moved to the City Justice Center. The demolition of the Workhouse began in March of 2025.

Political positions

Jones politically identifies as a progressive, and has generally been characterized as such by the media. She has described herself as a "Warren Democrat." She opposes incrementalism, instead arguing that "St. Louis needs to change." although she has said she would not have an abortion herself. At various points in her political career, she has been endorsed by the pro-choice groups NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, and #VOTEPROCHOICE.

Jones criticized Missouri Governor Jay Nixon for allowing two bills restricting abortion to become law, and called the bills part of an effort by anti-abortion groups to "slowly but surely chip away at reproductive rights" following Roe v. Wade. Jones also endorsed a statement condemning an abortion law passed by the Missouri General Assembly.

Criminal and racial justice

Jimmy Tobias of The Nation described Jones as a "champion of Black Lives Matter," writing in 2017 that "if Jones's [2017 mayoral] campaign prevails... the Black Lives Matter movement will clearly, finally, have an unequivocal ally at City Hall." She has stated her support for no-judgment drug disposal sites, the abolition of cash bail, focused deterrence, and sobering centers. Experts in criminology have lauded various aspects of the criminal justice agenda put forward in her 2021 campaign, noting that she "has a strong focus on decarceration and decriminalization of minor offenses".

In her 2017 letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published in The St. Louis American, Jones wrote that, if elected mayor, "I will look at every issue through a racial equity lens. I will ask if every decision we make helps those who have been disenfranchised, red-lined and flat-out ignored for way too long. I will look through each and every program in city government and make the changes necessary to ensure that government is working for those people." "What I'm trying to do is set the record straight," Jones told The New York Times. "The Confederates, in my opinion, were traitors. And in this country, we honor patriots." The fundraiser reached $17,545 of its $25,000 goal. On June 26, Krewson's administration agreed to give the memorial to the Missouri Civil War Museum in exchange for the museum arranging to pay for the memorial's removal and store it until it was displayed; Jones subsequently announced that all funds raised by the campaign would go to the city's Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.

Jones has advocated for closing the controversial St. Louis Medium Security Institution (known as the "St. Louis Workhouse"), which she has called a "rat hole", citing "a damning list of abuses, including sexual harassment, medical neglect, extended or mistaken incarceration, and negligence resulting in death" at the facility. As treasurer, she formally recommended that the institution be closed, arguing that "the city currently spends $254 million a year repeatedly arresting the same people, trying them, and incarcerating them." "It was irresponsible for the Mayor to publicize the names and addresses of her constituents, who were exercising their constitutional right to free speech and to petition their government," Jones tweeted. "I echo the calls for Mayor Krewson's resignation. Constituents should not fear retaliation for expressing their opinions on how our government aligns its spending priorities."

Jones supports decriminalizing sex work, and instead providing prostitutes with housing, unemployment resources and drug addiction treatment.

In June 2021, Jones was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities. Jones, along with Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas, is a member of MORE's coalition board. In April 2022, Jones signed a bill allowing voluntary donations to a reparations fund. The bill allows St. Louis residents to donate to the fund in their property tax and water and refuse collection bills. The reparations bill, sponsored by a city alderman, was vague on details about eligibility and the potential disbursements of the funds.

Education On January 10, 2012, while in the Missouri House of Representatives, Jones introduced a bill to set stricter requirements for charter management organizations. Though the bill was voted "do pass" in committee, the bill was never voted on. On April 19, after the Missouri State Board of Education voted to close six St. Louis charter schools operated by the Virginia-based company Imagine Schools, Jones argued that her proposed bill could have stopped the schools from being closed.

In November 2015, as treasurer, Jones created a program that opens a savings account for every St. Louis kindergarten student in public school, funded entirely from revenue earned by parking meters. On June 9, 2015, she was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative for her work with the program.

Gun violence Jones believes that gun control is necessary to reduce violent crime. She has referenced Aristotelianism in her beliefs about the connection between poverty and violence. On September 15, 2019, Jones joined in a protest march against gun violence led by Moms Demand Action and other mothers' advocacy groups.

Immigration Jones supports increasing immigration to the United States and believes that "immigrants should be seen as an asset, not a burden." Jones is in favor of making St. Louis a sanctuary city, and said during her 2017 mayoral campaign that if elected, she would create an "Office of New Americans" providing assistance to immigrants. The bill was signed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on July 8. The second was referred to the House Ways and Means committee, which did not make a decision on it.

Personal life On December 29, 1995, Jones's father, Virvus, was convicted on two counts of fraud and sentenced to one year and one day in prison. The conviction resurfaced during Jones's first bid for mayor, after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on links between the treasurer's office and Craig Walker, a banker who was convicted in the same case. Virvus Jones had defeated James Shrewsbury in the 1993 St. Louis comptroller Democratic primary, a race where Walker had funded the campaign of "stalking horse candidate" Penny Alcott. Both were sentenced to prison, and Virvus Jones was barred from running for office again. In 2016, the Post-Dispatch reported that IFS Securities, an investment banking and brokerage firm based in Atlanta, where Walker was the vice president for public finance, was doing business with the treasurer's office. and the St. Louis American editorial board called them racist, in an editorial headlined "Post is 'black' up to its old tricks".

Jones's mother, Laura, died of cancer in November 2000.

Electoral history