Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Dead at 58

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, has died after suffering a brain aneurysm, said sources familiar with the situation.

She was removed from life support at 12:19 p.m. at Huron Road Hospital, the sources said.

Tubbs Jones, 58, served as a Cuyahoga County judge and prosecutor before succeeding U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes. She has served five terms in Congress and is expected to easily win her sixth in November.

The mood of supporters around noon was somber. Cleveland Councilman Roosevelt Coats was seen sobbing outside the hospital. He said that Tubbs Jones was unconscious and that her friends and relatives were preparing for the worst.

While the Democratic representative's family has asked that details of the hospitalization remain confidential, the spokeswoman confirmed that Tubbs Jones was admitted after a police emergency late Tuesday night, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, said Wednesday.

The TV station said no information about the 58-year-old politician's police emergency was available.

The Ohio representative, who was to attend next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, was elected to her post in 1998. Her election to the U.S. House of Representatives marked the first time a black woman was picked to represent Ohio in the U.S. Congress.

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is the first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. Congresswoman Jones is a lifelong resident of the 11th District, which encompasses most of the East Side of Cleveland and parts of the West Side of Cleveland and includes parts of 22 suburbs.

 Currently in her fifth term in office, the Congresswoman, a strong advocate for many issues, has championed wealth building and economic development, access and delivery of health care, and quality education for all. The Congresswoman chairs the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics). Additionally, she serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and is an active member of numerous Congressional Caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus. 
  Congresswoman Tubbs Jones has received numerous honors throughout her lifetime including the National Bible Association Capitol Hill Distinguished Leadership Award, Human Rights Campaign of Cleveland Equality Award, Backbone Campaign's Backbone Award, and the Carib News Multi-National Business Conference Marcus Garvey Award. She is a lifelong member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio and is a member of their Board of Trustees.