OLIVIA JONES

JONES OLIVIA BARCLAY JONES Wife of former Congressman and former Ambassador to Mexico James R. Jones, died on June 1, 2017 surrounded by her family after a more than six year fight against multiple myeloma. Olivia was described by her husband as a "Renaissance woman with a great sense of curiosity about the world and a deep caring about its people." Born in New York City, she grew up in Southern California and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University in 1962 with honors in Eastern European Studies. After being one of 21 females to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1965, she became the first woman attorney at the Washington, DC, law firm Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells). In Washington she met, fell in love and married her husband who was then White House Appointments Secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson. At the conclusion of the Johnson Administration, Mrs. Jones moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, who was later elected to the U.S. Congress where he served for 14 years. In addition to writing and directing his media campaigns, she represented him throughout the Congressional District and in Washington, DC. She also coordinated foreign travel for the Trade Sub-Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. While a partner in her husband's political career, Olivia also was a full-time mother to Geoffrey, born in 1970, and Adam, born in 1973. Geoffrey, who received both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Stanford University, is now a Senior Director at ManattJones Global Strategies in Washington, DC, following a career in finance and consulting in New York City. Adam, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, is currently Associate Director at the National Trust for Historic Preservation following earlier careers in communications in New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco and serving as a Senate legislative aide on Capitol Hill. While rearing her two children, Mrs. Jones maintained her professional interests as a law clerk to Federal Judge Allen Barrow and later by operating two small business enterprises, one an interior design company and the other a property company that bought, renovated and sold houses primarily near her home on Capitol Hill. In the process, Olivia became a member of the Carpenters' Union and received her licensing permit as an electrician. In addition to her professional interests, she served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. She also served on the Boards of the First National Bank of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; the Maret School in Washington; the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts; and the Salzburg Global Seminar. In 1993 Olivia moved to México City when her husband was appointed the U.S. Ambassador by President Bill Clinton. During their four years in México, Olivia won acclaim for her work with artisans and her support of programs for street children. While there, she co-authored "English Ceramics in México," a reference book on English ceramics published in both English and Spanish. More recently she focused on developing a renowned collection of English fine china. She considered herself a temporary guardian of these historic treasures. She has served as an election observer in countries such as México, Krygystan, and Azerbaijan. In addition, she participated in collecting evidence for the War Crime Trials in Kosovo. Olivia was an avid reader, traveler and photographer, and she developed a reputation in gardening, culinary arts, fabric design, knitting, quilting and sewing. Survivors include her husband, son Geoffrey and his fiancé Kathryn Minor, and son Adam and his wife, Lauren Arias-Jones, and their son, Monte, all of whom live in Washington, DC. A service will be held at St. Peter's on Capitol Hill at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Winterthur Museum, Capitol Hill Village or any of three cancer research organizations - the Katzen Cancer Research Center at George Washington University, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Winterthur Museum, Capitol Hill Village or any of three cancer research organizations - the Katzen Cancer Research Center at George Washington University, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.