Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Price |
| Succeeded by | Mickey Leland |
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 11th district | |
| In office January 10, 1967 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Moore |
| Succeeded by | Chet Brooks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barbara Charline Jordan February 21, 1936 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 1996 (aged 59) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Texas State Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Domestic partner | Nancy Earl (late 1960s–1996) |
| Education | Texas Southern University (BA) Boston University (LLB) |
Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate since Reconstruction, the first southern African-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and one of the first two African Americans elected to the U.S. House from the former Confederacy since 1901, alongside Andrew Young of Georgia.
Jordan achieved fame for delivering a powerful opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon. In 1976, she became the first African American, and the first woman, to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. Jordan is also known for her work as chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors. She was the first African-American woman to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery.