Lloyd-Jones, Jean (1929-)
Dates
- Existence: 1929-
Biography
Jean Lloyd-Jones, legislator, feminist, and peace activist, was born October 14, 1929, daughter of Lucille Thurston and John Emerson Hall. She attended the University of New Mexico from 1946 to 1949 and in 1951 received a B.S. in English from Northwestern University. She married Richard Lloyd-Jones of Mason City, Iowa, that year and moved with him to Iowa City, where he was a graduate student in English. He joined the faculty of the University of Iowa Department of English the following year. Jean Lloyd-Jones earned an M.A. in history from the University of Iowa in 1971.
Jean Lloyd-Jones' lifelong involvement in civic and political affairs began in 1955 when she joined the League of Women Voters (LWV). She served as president of the Iowa City LWV in the 1960s and as state president from 1971 to 1976. She was elected president of the Iowa City United Nations Association (UNA) in 1965 and again in 1967, and served as state president of the UNA from 1971-1975.
She was appointed to the state planning committee of Iowa 2000, a commission established by Iowa's Governor Robert D. Ray in 1976 to assess needs and planning priorities for the future, and served as program coordinator for Iowa 2000. Lloyd-Jones chaired the Iowa International Women's Year Meeting in 1977 and was elected as a delegate to the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas the same year. She was appointed to the Governor's Task Force on Government Ethics in 1977. In the 1970s, Lloyd-Jones was very active in the effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.
Lloyd-Jones has filled paid positions in the state Democratic party, worked as party precinct committeeperson, and was on the staffs of various political campaigns. She worked on the campaign of Congressman Ed Mezvinsky in the 1970s. In 1976 Lloyd-Jones undertook her first (unsuccessful) campaign for State Legislature, and in 1978 she again ran, this time successfully. Lloyd-Jones served as State Representative from 1978 until 1989 and as a State Senator from 1989 until 1994.
Lloyd-Jones conceived, recruited board members, and served as president of the Iowa Peace Institute, a non-profit organization established in 1986 to "promote non-violent resolution of conflict through conflict management, global education, international development, and world trade." The Institute closed its doors after eighteen years and donated its assets to Grinnell College for the purpose of establishing a Peace Studies Program.
In 2010, Lloyd-Jones and Republican state senator Maggie Tinsman founded the organization 50/50 in 2020, which sought to equalize gender representation in elected offices in Iowa by the year 2020. Though the organization did not meet all of its goals at the state level, the period of its operation did see several women elected to federal political offices from Iowa for the first time. As part of the Hard Won, Not Done commemoration campaign celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment in 2020, 50/50 in 2020 leaders organized an oral history project to interview Iowa women who had served as state legislators. This project led to an ongoing collaboration with the University of Iowa Libraries and the oral histories are now preserved in the Iowa Women's Archives (IWA 1278). Lloyd-Jones served as one of main organizers and the principal interviewer for that project.
Found in 140 Collections and/or Records:
A Political Dialogue: Iowa's Women Legislators oral histories
Interviews with Iowa women legislators conducted by Suzanne O'Dea Schenken.
Audio recording, January 14, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Marti Anderson about her legislative service, male attitudes toward women in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, September 16, 2019
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Elaine Baxter about her service as a legislator and secretary of state, male attitudes toward women in politics, and the strengths women bring to political office.
Audio recording, January 14, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Liz Bennett about her legislative service, male attitudes toward women in politics, being one of Iowa's first openly LGBTQ+ politicians, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Holly Brink about her legislative service and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 14, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Timi Brown-Powers about her legislative experience, male attitudes toward women in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, August 19, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Helen Miller about her legislative service, including her role in passing a law to require breast density notifications for mammogram patients, time on the Iowa Board of Parole, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, December 5, 2019
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Amy Nielsen about her legislative service, including her role in authorizing e-notary services in Iowa, male attitudes toward women in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Jo Oldson about her legislative service, the role of gender in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Janet Petersen about her legislative service, including balancing motherhood of young children with political office, and advice for other women considering a run.
Audio recording, January 14, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Kirsten Running-Marquardt about her legislative service, including her role in broadening school nurses' authorization to treat allergic reactions, male attitudes toward women in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator and president of the senate Amy Sinclair about her legislative service, including her role in passing a law to require breast density notifications for mammogram patients and to strengthen Iowa's laws against invasion of privacy.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state senator Jackie Smith about her legislative service, the role of gender in politics, and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Ann Meyer about her legislative service and advice for other women running for office.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Sharon Steckman about her legislative service, including balancing motherhood with public office, and advice for other women considering a run.
Audio recording, September 14, 2019
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Sally Stutsman about her legislative service and the role of gender in politics.
Audio recording, January 15, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Kristin Sunde about her legislative service, balancing parenthood and foster care provider with public office, and advice for other women considering a run.
Audio recording, January 14, 2020
Audio recording of an interview with Iowa state legislator Annette Sweeney about her legislative service, the role of gender in politics, and advice for other women running for office.