U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first Black woman ever to be elected to Congress from Ohio and one of 11 members of the House of Representatives to vote against the war in Iraq in 2003, died Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage Tuesday night. She had been in critical condition with limited brain function in Huron Hospital in Cleveland Heights, a small Cleveland suburb. She was 58.
Tubbs Jones suffered the hemorrhage Tuesday as she was driving her car in Cleveland Heights, according to The Associated Press (AP). Police told the AP she had been seen driving erratically--her car crossed several lanes of traffic--before coming to a complete stop.
Dr. Gus Kious, of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland, says Tubbs Jones completely collapsed after the hemorrhage. "She suffered a very serious brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst in an inaccessible part of her brain," Kious said. She died at 6:12 p.m. Wednesday.
A brain aneurysm is a bulge in an artery in the brain. It can leak or rupture, causing bleeding in the brain.
Tubbs Jones, a Democrat and an ardent opponent of President George W. Bush, championed against the tax cuts of the Bush administration and Bush's proposal to privatize Social Security. She was the first Black woman ever to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, one that is seen as the most powerful in all of Congress. After having served on a committee that investigated the sexual improprieties of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appointed Tubbs Jones chair of the House Ethics Committee.
Tubbs Jones quickly rose to prominence in Washington after being elected in 1998. She spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2000 and was chair of the platform committee at the 2004 convention. In addition, she co-chaired the unsuccessful campaign of Sen. John F. Kerry, also in 2004.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose presidential candidacy was supported by Tubbs Jones, says she'll miss the congresswoman, who was a dear friend. "There are few words to express the shock we feel at this time," Clinton said in a written statement. "Our deepest condolences are with Stephanie's son, Mervyn, her family, and her many loved ones, friends and supporters. All of us who were lucky to know her and love her can only hope now to live like her--to be as passionate, loyal, hard charging and joyful in life's pursuits. Stephanie was one of a kind. We will miss our friend always."
On Wednesday, prior to her death, the AP and other news agencies reported Tubbs Jones had died, prompting Kerry to issue what he thought was a post-mortem tribute.
Tubbs Jones is survived by her son, Mervyn, and two sisters.
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