Jonathan Bartlett Jennings was born on March 27, 1974 to the parents of Joyce and Gary Jennings in Baltimore, Maryland. While attending Dulaney High School, J.B. worked as a cook at the Fox & Hound Restaurant and as a clothing salesman at Cohen’s Clothing Shop.
By 16, he decided to become a volunteer firefighter with the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Company, Station 47. From 1992 through 1996, he was a member of the Maryland Forest Service, where he was called to fight wildfires on the West Coast.
While fighting fires on the ground, he found himself looking to the skies. Shortly after his return from out West, he enrolled himself in a local flight school to become a pilot and at 19, he received his pilot’s license.
In 1997, he graduated from the University of Baltimore (U.B.) with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration. While attending school at U.B., J.B. began to pursue the field of politics. He found his interest in public service mirrored his passion for farming.
J.B. got his start in politics with then-Congressman, Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., as a caseworker. He involved himself in handling a majority of the constituent matters and eventually became a staff assistant. While working for Ehrlich, his hobby of flying would serve him well for he would personally fly the Congressman around the State of Maryland for political engagements.
Despite his service as a volunteer firefighter and legislative assistant, he remained committed to his childhood passion of agriculture and local farming. His lifetime experiences and expertise in several, specific agricultural fields lead him to become co-owner and president of the Mill of Hereford, Inc. in 1998. Within 2 years, he became full owner of the Mill, later The Maryland Horse Feed Store, and a full time dairy farmer.
Shortly after ascertaining ownership of the company, J.B. would attend a business meeting that would change his life forever. During that time, he met a horse feed representative to conduct a business sale; her name was Michelle Slusher. This fateful meeting turned into an engagement only a few years later between Michelle and J.B. The Jennings’ will be celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary this November.
His desire to return to politics would come full circle in the summer of 2002. It was during this time, he made the decision to enter the “political ring” as a republican candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates for the 7th Legislative District. His hard work and sacrifice paid off; he won a seat in the House of Delegates (one of the youngest members in history).
Sworn into office in January 2003, he was selected to be a member on the House Environmental Matters Standing Committee from 2003-2006.
Re-elected by the residents of Maryland’s 7th District, J.B. was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee. In 2009 he began serving on the Judiciary Committee.
Now he’s taken on an even greater task and honor as the 7th District’s State Senator, elected in November of 2010.
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