Barbara Jordan

Barbara Jordan
Bernard Gotfryd · Public domain · source
Name	Barbara Jordan
Caption	Jordan in 1977
Office	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district
Term start	January 3, 1973
Term end	January 3, 1979
Predecessor	Bob Price
Successor	Mickey Leland
Office2	Member of the Texas Senate from the 11th district
Term start2	January 10, 1967
Term end2	January 3, 1973
Predecessor2	William T. Moore
Successor2	Chet Brooks
Birth date	21 February 1936
Birth place	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Death date	17 January 1996
Death place	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Alma mater	Texas Southern University (BA), Boston University (JD)
Profession	Lawyer, Professor

Barbara Jordan was a pioneering American politician, lawyer, and educator who became a national symbol of integrity and moral authority. A key figure in the Democratic Party, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. Her eloquent oratory, particularly during the Watergate scandal, cemented her legacy as a formidable advocate for the Constitution and civil rights.

Early life and education

Born in Houston's Fifth Ward, she was the daughter of a Baptist minister and a domestic worker. She was inspired by a speech from Edith S. Sampson during a high school career day. Jordan attended Texas Southern University, where she graduated *magna cum laude* in 1956 after excelling in debate, defeating teams from schools like Yale University and Brown University. She then earned a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1959, passed the bar exams in both Massachusetts and Texas, and began practicing law in Houston.

Political career

After two unsuccessful campaigns for the Texas House of Representatives, she won a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming its first African American member since 1883. In the Texas Legislature, she worked to pass the state's first minimum wage law and championed legislation against employment discrimination. Her success led to her election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, where she served on the influential House Judiciary Committee. During the 1974 impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon, her powerful televised speech on constitutional principles captivated the nation and is considered a landmark moment in American political rhetoric. She was a keynote speaker at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, another historic first for an African American woman. Throughout her tenure, she focused on expanding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and advocating for environmental policies in the Gulf Coast region.

Post-congressional career and later life

Choosing not to seek re-election in 1978, she accepted a professorship at the University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. From 1979 until her death, she held the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy. She served on several corporate boards, including for the CPB. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. She struggled with multiple sclerosis and later leukemia, and died in Austin in 1996 from complications of pneumonia.

Legacy and honors

Her legacy is preserved through numerous institutions and honors, including the Barbara Jordan Memorial Park in Austin and the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in her honor. She was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. The Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program, run by the Kaiser Family Foundation, cultivates future leaders in health policy. Her papers are housed at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Briscoe Center for American History.

Category:American lawyers Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Category:Texas State Senators