Barbara 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 (1936-02-21)February 21, 1936 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 17, 1996(1996-01-17) (aged 59) Austin, Texas, U.S.
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,^[1] and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction,^[2] the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives,^[3][4] 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 notoriety for delivering a powerful opening statement^[5] 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.^[2] 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.^[6][7]

Barbara Charline Jordan was born in Houston, Texas's Fifth Ward.^[3] Jordan's childhood was centered on church life at the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church.^[8] Her mother was Arlyne Patten Jordan, a teacher in the church and a maid,^[1][2][9] and her father was Benjamin Jordan, a Baptist preacher and a warehouse worker.^[2] Jordan would recite poetry at the church and would sing gospel music with her sisters.^[8] In 1949, Jordan's father joined the Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church as the full-time pastor.^[8]

Through her mother, Jordan was the great-granddaughter of Edward Patton, who was one of the last African American members of the Texas House of Representatives prior to disenfranchisement of Black Texans under Jim Crow. Barbara Jordan was the youngest of three children,^[1][10] with siblings Rose Mary Jordan McGowan and Bennie Creswell Jordan (1933–2000).

Jordan attended Roberson Elementary School.^[9] She graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School in 1952 with honors.^[1][9][11] At Wheatley, Jordan's linguistic abilities were developed through the support of her teachers and curriculum.^[12] Major influences included her English teacher Mrs. D. B. Reid, elocutionist Ashton J. Oliver, and speech and drama teacher Robert T. Holland.^[12]

Jordan credited a speech she heard in her high school years by Edith S. Sampson with inspiring her to become an attorney.^[8][13] Because of segregation, she could not attend the University of Texas at Austin and instead chose Texas Southern University, a historically black institution, majoring in political science and history.^[8] At Texas Southern University, Jordan was a national champion debater, learning from her coach, Thomas Freeman, and defeating opponents from Yale and Brown, and tying Harvard University.^[2][9] She graduated magna cum laude in 1956.^[9][11] At Texas Southern University, she pledged Delta Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.^[9] She attended Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1959.^[9][11]

Jordan taught political science at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama for a year.^[9] In 1960, she returned to Houston and started a private law practice.^[9] During that time in Texas, there were only two black women attorneys, one being Jordan, who was twenty-four years old.^[2] To start off her career, Jordan became the first Black woman to work as an administrative assistant to a county judge, Bill Elliott.^{[2][14][15][16]} Jordan began her work in politics in 1960 when she became a volunteer for the John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B. Johnson campaign, traveling to African American churches in Houston to encourage people to vote. ^[8]

Jordan campaigned unsuccessfully in 1962 and 1964 for the Texas House of Representatives.^[17] Along with Curtis Graves and Joe Lockridge, she was one of three African American members elected in 1966 to the Texas Legislature, the first ones since 1896. With Jordan elected to the Texas Senate, she became the first black woman to serve in that body.^[17] She served the Eleventh Senate District in Houston, which had just been created after Kilgarlin v. Martin (1965) in which the federal court demanded redistricting of the Texas Legislature because urban areas were underrepresented.^[18]

The Texas Senate in 1966 consisted of thirty-one white men and Jordan. With Jordan experiencing racism and sexism from her colleagues, Houston community members were unsure of how much of a difference Jordan could make serving in the Senate.^[18] Aware of the challenges she would face, Jordan's goal was to be respected by the white conservatives in the Senate. One of the ways she accomplished this was by befriending Dorsey Hardeman, who was seen as the most powerful man in the body, and Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes.^[2][18] Jordan ran as a liberal Democrat, but she had strong relationships with the conservative wing of the Texas Democratic Party.^[2] Her efforts in her first term led to her being unanimously elected as outstanding freshman member by her colleagues.^[18]

Re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, Jordan served until 1972. She was the first African-American woman to serve as president pro tempore of the state senate and served one day, June 10, 1972, as acting governor of Texas.^[19][20] Jordan was the first African-American woman to serve as governor of a state.^[21] Additionally, Jordan was nominated to serve on federal commissions by President Lyndon Johnson after she was elected to the Senate; the commissions worked on housing and income maintenance.^[2] During her time in the Texas Legislature, Jordan sponsored or cosponsored some 70 bills.^[22] Jordan was an advocate for her constituents and the working class while in the Texas Senate. Some of her accomplishments include developing Texas' first minimum wage law^[18] and funding programs to fight against hate crimes.^[8]

Jordan's influence in the Senate and her relationship with Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes shaped her path to U.S. Congress. Redistricting of Texas began after the 1970 census, which included the possibility of a new congressional seat in Houston.^[18] Barnes named Jordan vice-chair of the redistricting committee, and this resulted in Jordan having the ability to draw her own district, the Eighteenth Congressional District.^[2][18] Jordan received 81% of the vote in 1972 to win the Democratic nomination to the U.S. House seat.^[10]

In 1972, Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first woman elected in her own right to represent Texas in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee.^[10] In 1974, she made an influential televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, Johnson's successor as president.^[23] In 1975, she was appointed by Carl Albert, then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

In 1976, Jordan, mentioned as a possible running mate to Jimmy Carter of Georgia,^[17] became instead the first African-American woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.^[17][24] Despite not being a candidate, Jordan received one delegate vote (0.03%) for president at the Convention.^[25]

In November 1977, Barbara Jordan spoke at the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas.^[4] Other speakers included Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, Bella Abzug, Audrey Colom, Claire Randall, Gerridee Wheeler, Cecilia Burciaga, Gloria Steinem, Lenore Hershey and Jean O'Leary.^[26]

On July 25, 1974, Jordan delivered a 15-minute televised speech in front of the members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee^[27] during the hearings that were part of the impeachment process against Richard Nixon.^[27] That speech has been ranked 13th among the 100 best American political speeches of the 20th century.^[28][29]

Throughout her Judiciary Committee impeachment speech, Jordan strongly stood by the Constitution of the United States. She defended the checks and balances system, which was set in place to inhibit any politician from abusing their power.^[27] Jordan never directly said that she wanted Nixon impeached, but rather subtly and cleverly implied her thoughts.^[30] She stated facts that proved Nixon to be untrustworthy and heavily involved in illegal situations,^[30] and quoted the drafters of the Constitution to argue that actions like Nixon's during the scandal corresponded with their understanding of impeachable offenses.^[31] She protested that the Watergate scandal would forever ruin the trust American citizens have for their government.^[30] This powerful and influential statement earned Jordan national praise for her rhetoric, morals, and wisdom.^[27] Further, both conservatives and liberals liked Jordan because of her appeal to the American Dream and her positions on Watergate and the Voting Rights Act respectively.^[2]

On July 12, 1976, Jordan delivered a historic keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.^[24][32] This address was the first time a major political party's nominating convention had an African American as the keynote speaker.^[24] Jordan was chosen as a speaker because she was a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee and made an impact with her remarks during the impeachment process of Nixon. Additionally, Jordan represented the Democratic party's progress and acceptance of minorities as a black woman.^[10] Jordan's usage of American values in her address, primarily national unity, American traditions, and the importance of politicians as responsible public servants, appealed to the general public and led to a largely positive reaction.^[32] At Madison Square Garden, where the convention was held, Jordan's address ended with a 5-minute standing ovation, and during her speech, the audience interrupted with applause 20 times.^[24]

Many delegates wanted Jordan to become Jimmy Carter's running mate and wore ‘‘Barbara Jordan for Vice President’’ buttons the following day of the convention.^[24] One of the messages of Jordan's speech was support for the Democratic Party, including what they have done in the past and what they could accomplish in the future.^[10] Some have linked Jordan's speech and her support of the Democratic Party as playing a role in Carter's election win, with Carter winning 92% of the African American vote.^[10][24] During a time of unrest, following the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam war, Carter hoped to unite both the Democratic Party and the country, and Carter tasked Jordan with helping him accomplish this goal at the convention.^[24]

Jordan supported the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, legislation that required banks to lend and make services available to underserved poor and minority communities. She supported the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and expansion of that act to cover language minorities; this extended protection to Hispanics in Texas and was opposed by Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and Secretary of State Mark White. The original version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 included section 5, which required that changes to voting laws in certain jurisdictions were required to be reviewed by the Attorney General or the United States District Court, but this did not apply to Texas because the state was not included in the determined jurisdictions.^[33] The law changed to include Texas under the expanded version along with the requirement of bilingual ballots for areas where "more than five percent of the population" spoke a language other than English.^[33]

She also authored an act that ended federal authorization of price fixing by manufacturers. Jordan was also a proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment and issued a statement in support of extending the deadline in 1979.^[34] During Jordan's tenure as a Congresswoman, she sponsored or cosponsored over 300 bills or resolutions, several of which are still in effect today as law.^[22]

Jordan retired from politics in 1978 due to poor health^[18] and became an adjunct professor teaching at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.^[8] She was again a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1992.^[12]

In 1994, Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the NAACP presented her with the Spingarn Medal.^[1] She was honored many times and was given over 20 honorary degrees from institutions across the country, including Harvard and Princeton, and was elected to the Texas and National Women's Halls of Fame.^[1]

From 1994 until her death, Jordan chaired the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform; she was appointed by President Bill Clinton.^[8] The commission recommended that total immigration be cut by one-third to approximately 550,000 per year. The commission supported increasing enforcement against undocumented migrants and their employers, eliminating visa preferences for siblings and adult children of U.S. citizens, and ending unskilled immigration except for refugees and nuclear families. The commission's report to Congress said that it was "a right and responsibility of a democratic society to manage immigration so that it serves the national interest", concluded that "legal immigration has strengthened and can continue to strengthen this country" and "decrie[d] hostility and discrimination against immigrants as antithetical to the traditions and interests of the country." The commission recommended that the United States reduce the number of refugees admitted annually to a floor of 50,000 (this level would be lifted during emergencies).^{[35][36][37][38]}

The recommendations made by the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform under Jordan's leadership are frequently cited by American immigration restrictionists.^[39][40]

While Jordan never publicly identified herself as lesbian or queer,^[41][42][17] the U.S. National Archives has referred to her as the first LGBTQ+ woman to serve in the United States Congress.^[43]

Jordan and Nancy Earl shared a home in Austin, Texas^[44] and maintained a close bond for 20 years.^[42] Jordan's political career was often shadowed by homophobic attacks, with advisors cautioning against the visibility of her personal relationships. With their advice, Jordan's openness about her sexual orientation was limited to private settings.^[44] Jordan held a negative view on marriage and viewed it as a life of subservience. She believed that her family would accept her choice to be single only if she had a successful career.^[2]

Barbara Jordan developed multiple sclerosis in 1973, during her first year in Congress.^[45]

On July 31, 1988, Jordan nearly drowned in her backyard swimming pool while doing physical therapy. She was saved by Earl, who found her floating in the pool and revived her.^[46] By 1992, Jordan was confined to a wheelchair due to her sclerosis.^[47]

In the KUT-FM radio documentary Rediscovering Barbara Jordan, President Bill Clinton said that he had wanted to nominate Jordan for the United States Supreme Court, but that Jordan's health problems prevented him from doing so.^[48]

Jordan died in a hospital in Austin, Texas, on January 17, 1996, at the age of 59.^[8] Her cause of death was complications from pneumonia and leukemia. She had battled multiple sclerosis for several years before her death.^[49]

Jordan was interred in Texas State Cemetery.^[50] She was the first African American to receive this honor.^[8] During her tenure in the Texas State Senate, Jordan had advocated for African Americans to be buried in the state cemetery.^[51] Jordan's grave rests near that of the "Father of Texas", Stephen F. Austin.^[51]

• 1984: Inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame
• 1990: Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
• 1992: The Spingarn Medal from the NAACP^[52]
• 1993: The Elizabeth Blackwell Award from Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• 1994: The Presidential Medal of Freedom
• 1995: The second ever female awardee of the United States Military Academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award^[53]

Jordan's 1974 statement on the articles of impeachment (regarding President Richard Nixon) was listed as #13 in American Rhetoric's Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century (listed by rank).^[54][55]

Jordan's 1976 Democratic National Convention keynote address, the first major convention keynote speech ever by a woman and the first by an African American, was listed as #5 in American Rhetoric's Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century (listed by rank).^[54]

Jordan was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1978 to 1980.^{[56][better source needed]}

The main terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is named after Jordan. The airport also features a statue of Jordan by artist Bruce Wolfe.^[57]

A boulevard in central Austin is named after Jordan. Several schools bear her name, including elementary schools in Dallas, Texas,^[58] Odessa, Texas,^[59] Austin, Texas, Barbara Jordan Early College Prep School,^[60] Richmond, Texas,^[61] Barbara C. Jordan Intermediate School, a middle school in Cibolo, Texas,^[62] Barbara Jordan Career Center in Houston, and The Barbara Jordan Institute for Policy Research^[63] at her undergraduate alma mater Texas Southern University. There is also a park named after Jordan in Needville, Texas (The Barbara Jordan Park).^[64]

The Kaiser Family Foundation operates the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars, a fellowship designed for people of color who are college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates as a summer experience working in a congressional office.^[65]

A statue of Barbara Jordan made by Bruce Wolfe was erected at the University of Texas at Austin's West Mall near the Student Union in 2009. One of her speeches is inscribed on granite slabs behind the statue, with some of her accomplishments also being listed.^[66][67]

Texas designated an 8-mile strip along Houston's Third Ward of State Highway 288, SH288, the Barbara Jordan Memorial Parkway.^[68]

On December 2, 2023, a sculpture representing Jordan and created by artist Angelbert Metoyer was unveiled outside the former Barbara Jordan Post Office in Houston, TX.^[69]

An elementary school in University City School District is named after her, Barbara C. Jordan Elementary in University City, Missouri.^[70]

In 2000, the Jordan/Rustin Coalition (JRC) was created,^[71] honoring Jordan and Bayard Rustin, a leader in the civil rights movement and close confidante of Martin Luther King Jr. The organization mobilized gay and lesbian African Americans to aid in the passage of marriage equality in the state of California. According to its website, "the mission [of the JRC] is to empower Black same-gender loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families in Greater Los Angeles, to promote equal marriage rights and to advocate for fair treatment of everyone without regard to race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

On March 27, 2000, a play based on Jordan's life premiered at the Victory Garden Theater in Chicago, Illinois.^[72] Entitled Voice of Good Hope, Kristine Thatcher's biographical evocation of Jordan's life played in theaters from San Francisco to New York.^[73]

On April 24, 2009, a statue of Barbara Jordan was unveiled at the University of Texas at Austin, where Jordan taught at the time of her death. The Barbara Jordan statue campaign was paid for by a student fee increase approved by the University of Texas Board of Regents. The effort was originally spearheaded by the 2002–2003 Tappee class of the Texas Orange Jackets, the "oldest women's organization at the University" (of Texas at Austin).^[74]

In 2011, the Barbara Jordan Forever Stamp was issued. It is the 34th stamp in the Black Heritage series of U.S. stamps.^[75]

In 2012, Jordan was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBTQ history and people.^[76]

The Barbara Jordan Media Awards are given annually to media professionals and students who "have produced material for the public which accurately and positively reports on individuals with disabilities, using People First language and respectful depictions".^[77]

The Barbara Jordan Public-Private Leadership Award is presented by Texas Southern University's School of Public Affairs and School of Law. Its first recipient was former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on June 4, 2015.^[78]

The former sorting facility in downtown Houston was renamed the Barbara Jordan Post Office.^[79]

In the years following Jordan's passing, more African Americans would receive the honor of being buried in the Texas State Cemetery as well, including musical artists James Henry Cotton and Barbara Smith Conrad.^[80]

• History of the African-Americans in Houston
• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Texas
• Texas African American History Memorial, Texas State Capitol
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

Rogers, Mary Beth. 1998. Barbara Jordan: American hero.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barbara Jordan.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Barbara Jordan.

• United States Congress. "Barbara Jordan (id: J000266)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Jordan's Statement on the Articles of Impeachment During the Nixon Impeachment Hearings in Text and Audio from AmericanRhetoric.com
• Jordan's 1976 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address in Text and Audio from AmericanRhetoric.com
• Jordan's 1992 Democratic National Convention Address Transcript from AmericanRhetoric.com
• Barbara Jordan, Governor of Texas for a day, program of ceremonies, June 10, 1972, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Interview with Max Sherman, editor of Barbara Jordan – Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder on kaisernetwork.org
• Oral History Interviews with Barbara Jordan, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
• Film and video footage of Barbara Jordan, from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image
• Special Collections, Texas Southern University
• This American Life: Before Things Went to Hell, Act One, January 13, 2019
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Barbara Jordan at Find a Grave