B. Todd Jones
Byron Todd Jones (b. May 23, 1957, in Cincinnati, Ohio) served as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from July 2013 to March 2015. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2013, by a vote of 53-42.[1][2]
Jones was the first appointee to the post since reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act required a confirmation vote on the position.[3] Two previous nominees by President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama have since been blocked in the confirmation process by the Senate and the National Rifle Association due to the threat of increased gun control laws.[4]
Jones served as the acting director of the ATF since being appointed in 2011.[5]
Biography
Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he attended Wyoming High School before graduating from Macalester College and earning his J.D. from the University of Minnesota.[6][7]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Jones' academic, professional, and political career:[6][5]
- 1979: Graduated from Macalester College
- 1983: Earned J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School
- 1983-1989: Infantry officer, prosecutor, defense attorney and judge advocate with U.S. Marine Corp.
- 1989-1992: Senior associate with Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly
- 1992-1994: Assistant U.S. attorney in Minneapolis
- 1993-1995: Commanding officer of Twin Cities Marine Reserves unit
- 1994-1997: Managing partner at Greene Espel
- 1997-1998: First assistant U.S. attorney
- 1998-2001: U.S. attorney
- 2001-2009: Partner at Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi
- 2009-2013: U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota
- 2011-2013: Acting director of the ATF
- 2013-2015: Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Confirmation vote
Debate on Jones' confirmation was held open for a number of hours while Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) flew in from her home state to secure the 60-40 vote invoking cloture.[4] Jones was confirmed as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2013, by a vote of 53-42.[1]
| B. Todd Jones confirmation vote, July 31, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for  |
Votes against  |
Total votes |
 Democrats |
50 | 0 | 50 |
 Republicans |
1 | 42 | 43 |
 Independents |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total Votes | 53 | 42 | 95 |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Jones and his wife, Margaret, have five children.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 GovTrack, "On the Nomination PN120: Byron Todd Jones, of Minnesota, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives," July 31, 2013
- ↑ USA Today, "ATF director announces resignation," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ Daily Beast, "Senate Confirms First ATF Director Since 2006," July 31, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington Post, "Senate confirms ATF director for first time since 2006," July 31, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 ATF, "ATF Director B. Todd Jones," accessed August 5, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Tribune, "About B. Todd Jones," September 17, 2009
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "Wyoming grad, candidate for ATF caught in confirmation fight," May 27, 2013
