Barbara Jordan
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, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives,[2] 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.
For persons of a similar name, see Barbara Jordan (disambiguation).
Barbara Jordan
Jordan achieved notoriety for delivering a powerful opening statement[3] 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. 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.[4][5] Jordan is also known for her work as chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform.
Early life[edit]
Barbara Charline Jordan was born in Houston, Texas's Fifth Ward.[2] Jordan's childhood was centered on church life. Her mother was Arlyne Patten Jordan, a teacher in the church,[1][6] and her father was Benjamin Jordan, a Baptist preacher. 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] with siblings Rose Mary Jordan McGowan and Bennie Creswell Jordan (1933–2000). Jordan attended Roberson Elementary School.[6] She graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School in 1952 with honors.[1][6][7]
Jordan credited a speech she heard in her high school years by Edith S. Sampson with inspiring her to become an attorney.[8] 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. At Texas Southern University, Jordan was a national champion debater, defeating opponents from Yale and Brown, and tying Harvard University.[6] She graduated magna cum laude in 1956.[6][7] At Texas Southern University, she pledged Delta Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[6] She attended Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1959.[6][7]
Jordan taught political science at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama for a year.[6] In 1960, she returned to Houston and started a private law practice.[6] To start off her career, Jordan became the first Black woman to work as an administrative assistant to a county judge.[9][10][11]
Political career[edit]
Texas Senate[edit]
Jordan campaigned unsuccessfully in 1962 and 1964 for the Texas House of Representatives.[12] She won a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first African-American state senator in Texas since 1883 and the first black woman to serve in that body.[12] Re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, she 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.[13][14] Jordan was the first African-American woman to serve as governor of a state.[15] During her time in the Texas Legislature, Jordan sponsored or cosponsored some 70 bills.[16]
Personal life[edit]
Relationships[edit]
The U.S. National Archives referred to Barbara Jordan as the first LGBTQ+ woman in the United States Congress,[32] despite never publicly identifying as lesbian or queer.[33][34][12] Jordan's private relationships, notably with Nancy Earl, were integral to her life. The two shared a home in Austin, Texas[35] and maintained a close bond for 20 years.[36] Jordan's political career was often shadowed by homophobic attacks, with advisors cautioning against the visibility of her relationship with Earl. With their advice, Jordan's openness about her sexual orientation was limited to private settings.[35] Despite the complexities and secrecy surrounding her personal life, Jordan's impact as a civil rights icon endured.
Health[edit]
Barbara Jordan developed multiple sclerosis in 1973.[37]
On July 31, 1988, Jordan nearly drowned in her backyard swimming pool while doing physical therapy, but she was saved by Earl, who found her floating in the pool and revived her.[38] By 1992, Jordan was confined to a wheelchair due to her sclerosis.[39]
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 by the time he could do so, Jordan's health problems prevented him from nominating her.[40]
Death and burial[edit]
Jordan passed away in a hospital in Austin, Texas on January 17, 1996, at the age of 59. Her cause of death was complications from pneumonia and leukemia. She had battled multiple sclerosis for several years before her death.[41]
She was interred in Texas State Cemetery.[42] She was the first African American to receive this honor, and previously advocated African Americans to be buried in the state cemetery when she served in the Texas State Senate.[43] Jordan's grave rests near that of the "Father of Texas" Stephen F. Austin.[43]
Further reading[edit]
Rogers, Mary Beth. 1998. Barbara Jordan: American hero.