Jean Louise Stothert (née Wolf; born February 7, 1954) is an American politician and former nurse serving as the 51st mayor of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. She is the first woman to hold the office and was sworn in as Mayor on June 10, 2013. She was re-elected on May 10, 2017, and May 11, 2021.

Personal life

Jean Stothert was born on February 7, 1954, in

Wood River, Illinois Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois. The population was 10,657 according to the 2010 census. Geography Wood River is located at (38.863047, -90.088527). According to the 2010 census, Wood River has a total area of , of which (or 9 ...

. She earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in nursing from

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It became the Seat ...

. Stothert married Joe Stothert in 1981. He became a critical care surgery specialist at the Nebraska Medical Center. The couple had two children, and were married until Joe Stothert died at age 72. In May, 2022 she married Dr. J. Kevin O'Rourke. Dr. O'Rourke is a retired

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicin ...

who Stothert met when he was in medical school at St. Louis University and she was a critical care nurse at St. Louis University Hospital.

Career

Stothert began her career in nursing. Her 12 years as a critical care nurse and nursing manager included serving as head nurse at

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

in Missouri. She was responsible for her department budgeting, hiring and staff management.

Politics

In 1997, Stothert was elected to the Millard Board of Education. She was re-elected for three terms, including 3 years as president of the board, serving until 2009. Entering politics after she and her husband moved to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

, Stothert was a candidate for the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the sm ...

in 2006. She was defeated by

Steve Lathrop Steve Lathrop (born April 1, 1957) is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. From 2007 to 2015, he served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature, representing an Omaha-area district. He did not ru ...

by 14 votes (5073–5059). In 2009, Stothert was elected to the Omaha City Council (District 5), defeating Jon Blumenthal, 7401 to 4308.

Mayor of Omaha

On June 29, 2012, Stothert announced her candidacy for

Mayor of Omaha This is a list of mayors of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. List of mayors See also * Government of Omaha * History of Omaha References {{Omaha Omaha * Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municip ...

. Stothert raised $513,124 for campaign, compared to $804,700 raised by

Jim Suttle James H. Suttle (born June 13, 1944) is an American corporate executive, engineer, and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Omaha, Nebraska from 2009 to 2013. Earlier career Suttle held the position of vice-chair of the Board of Directors for ...

. Stothert received 32.2% of votes in a primary election of April 2, 2013. She was elected mayor with 57.32% of votes, on May 14, 2013, defeating the incumbent mayor Jim Suttle. She is the first woman to hold this office. Stothert was re-elected in 2017, and won a historic third term for Omaha Mayor in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stothert, Jean 1954 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Living people Mayors of Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska Republicans Omaha City Council members People from Wood River, Illinois School board members in Nebraska Seattle Pacific University alumni Women mayors of places in Nebraska Women city councillors in Nebraska