Jan Jones Blackhurst
{{Short description|American businesswoman and politician}}
{{Family name hatnote|Jones Blackhurst|Blackhurst}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jan Jones Blackhurst
| office = 20th Mayor of Las Vegas
| term_start = July 1991
| term_end = June 8, 1999
| predecessor = Ron Lurie
| successor = Oscar Goodman
| birth_name = Janis Lyle Laverty
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|3|16}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Fletcher Jones (divorced)
{{marriage|Dana Blackhurst|2003}}
| education = Stanford University (BA)
}}
Jan Jones Blackhurst (born Janis Lyle Laverty, later Jan Laverty Jones; March 16, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician. She was mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1991 to 1999 and the first woman to serve as mayor of Las Vegas. Jones Blackhurst is a member of the Democratic Party.
Biography
= Early life =
Jones Blackhurst was born in Los Angeles, California, raised in Santa Monica, 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.{{Cite journal|last=UNLV Gaming Law Journal, University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- William S. Boyd School of Law|date=2017-12-31|title=The Oral History of Jan Jones Blackhurst|url=https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/glj/vol8/iss1/5|journal=UNLV Gaming Law Journal|volume=8|issue=1}}
= Politics =
In 1990, Jones Blackhurst (known then as Jan Jones) ran for mayor of the City of Las Vegas; she was elected in 1991 and later re-elected in 1995, serving two four-year terms. During her time in office, Las Vegas' population grew significantly; Jones Blackhurst was credited for making the city "more livable"{{Cite web|last=Neff|first=Erin|date=1999-06-08|title=Jones leaves legacy - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/jun/08/jones-leaves-legacy/|access-date=2021-07-18|website=lasvegassun.com|language=en}} and directing attention towards social issues such as homelessness and LGBT rights.
While mayor of Las Vegas, Jones Blackhurst ran for Nevada governor twice, losing significantly in the 1994 Democratic primary to then-incumbent Bob Miller, and, after gaining the Democratic nomination in 1998, being defeated in the general election in 1998 by Kenny Guinn, the Republican nominee. In 1999, she chose not to run for a third term as mayor.
= Post-politics =
After leaving the office of mayor, Jones Blackhurst worked for Caesars Entertainment, later serving as Executive Vice President.{{Cite web|last=Solomon|first=Micah|title=Top Caesars Exec And The First Female Mayor Of Las Vegas On Diversity And Inclusion|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2019/05/23/a-top-caesars-exec-and-vegass-1st-female-mayor-diversity-boosts-bottom-line-results/|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Forbes|language=en}} In 2007, she was quoted by the UK newspaper The Observer as saying Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil gambled up to $1 million per week -- which she later retracted and apologized for, after actual figures were shown to indicate less ambitious stakes.{{cite news |title=Casino denies Dion husband losses |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6324715.stm |access-date=18 February 2025 |work=BBC News |date=2 February 2007}}
As of July 2021, Jones Blackhurst sits on the board of directors of several organizations: Caesars Entertainment,{{Cite web|title=Jan Blackhurst {{!}} Board of Directors {{!}} Caesars Entertainment, Inc.|url=https://investor.caesars.com/board-directors/jan-blackhurst|access-date=2021-07-07|website=investor.caesars.com|language=en}} the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority,{{Cite web|title=Board of Directors {{!}} Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority|url=https://www.lvcva.com/who-we-are/board-of-directors/|access-date=2021-07-07|website=www.lvcva.com|language=en}} Sunrise Hospital, and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which owns Allegiant Stadium.{{Cite web|title=Board Members {{!}} Las Vegas Stadium Authority|url=http://www.lvstadiumauthority.com/about/index.php?memID=3|access-date=2021-07-07|website=www.lvstadiumauthority.com}} She is also CEO-in-residence at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-10|title=Jan Jones Blackhurst hopes to boost women leaders with UNLV post|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/jan-jones-blackhurst-hopes-to-boost-women-leaders-with-unlv-post-1932908/|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=INTRODUCING IGI EXECUTIVE-IN-RESIDENCE JAN JONES BLACKHURST AND THE "EXPANDING THE LEADERVERSE" INITIATIVE {{!}} International Gaming Institute {{!}} University of Nevada, Las Vegas|url=https://www.unlv.edu/news-story/introducing-igi-executive-residence-jan-jones-blackhurst-and-expanding-leaderverse#:~:text=LAS%20VEGAS%20--%20January%207,International%20Gaming%20Institute%20(IGI).|access-date=2021-07-07|website=www.unlv.edu}}
Personal life
Jones Blackhurst is married to Dana Blackhurst, her second husband. They married in 2003, and Jones Blackhurst legally added the "Blackhurst" part of her surname in 2013.{{Cite web|last=Ruark|first=Craig|date=2015-05-25|title=Jan Jones Blackhurst|url=https://businesspress.vegas/special-sections/jan-jones-blackhurst/|access-date=2021-07-18|website=Las Vegas Business Press|language=en-US}} Jones Blackhurst has had six children.
Dana Blackhurst is an education advocate for learning disabilities who has headed several schools over the years, including Camperdown Academy (Greenville, South Carolina), Pine Ridge School (Williston, Vermont) and The Chandler School (also Greenville, South Carolina), which he founded.[http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/education/2015/12/01/chandler-school-molded-after-its-dyslexic-creator/75922068/ The Chandler School molded after its dyslexic creator], greenvilleonline.com; accessed January 7, 2017. They live near the Red Rock Country Club in western Las Vegas.{{Cite web|date=2015-07-04|title=Check out the home of this former Las Vegas mayor — PHOTOS|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/homes/real-estate-millions/check-out-the-home-of-this-former-las-vegas-mayor-photos/|access-date=2021-07-08|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|language=en-US}}
Honors
In 2017, the Clark County School District named a Las Vegas elementary school after Jones Blackhurst.{{Cite web|title=Jones Blackhurst Elementary School Tour|url=https://lasvegassun.com/photos/galleries/2017/aug/01/0801NewSchools/|access-date=2021-07-08|website=LasVegasSun.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Namesake {{!}} Jones Blackhurst ES|url=https://www.jonesblackhurst.net/namesake|access-date=2021-07-08|website=Jones Blackhurst Elementary School|language=en}}
External links
- {{C-SPAN|50896}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Ron Lurie}}
{{s-ttl|title=Mayor of Las Vegas|years=1991–1999}}
{{s-aft|after=Oscar Goodman}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Bob Miller}}
{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Nevada|years=1998}}
{{s-aft|after=Joe Neal}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jan Laverty}}
Category:20th-century mayors of places in Nevada
Category:Activists from California
Category:Harrah's Entertainment
Category:Politicians from Las Vegas
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:United States Chamber of Commerce people
Category:Women in Nevada politics