Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 513 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 656 pixel, file size: 53 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Barbara Jordan List... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... The current boundaries of Texas District 18. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Robert Dale “Bob” Price (September 7, 1927 – August 24, 2004) was a Republican congressman from the Texas Panhandle from 1967-1975 and a member of the Texas State Senate from 1978-1980. ... George Thomas Leland (November 27, 1944 – August 7, 1989), better known as Mickey Leland, was a spokesman for the hungry and poor, and later became a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Houston redirects here. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party...

Biography

Jordan was born in Houston's Fifth Ward to Rev. Benjamin M. Jordan and Arlyne (Patten) Jordan. Houston redirects here. ... When the city of Houston was founded in 1836 and incorporated in 1837, its founders—John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen—divided it into political geographic districts called wards. ...

Barbara Jordan attended Wheatley High School, where one of the nation's few African-American female attorneys, Edith S. Sampson, spoke and inspired Jordan to become a lawyer.^[1] This was a difficult ambition at the time, because only one law school in Texas admitted African-Americans.^[1] With the support of her father, Jordan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University in 1956 and from Boston University Law School in 1959.^[1] She passed the bar exams in Massachusetts and Texas before returning to Houston to open a law practice, only the third African-American woman to be licensed in Texas.^[1] Phillis Wheatley High School is a secondary school located at 4900 Market Street in Houston, Texas, United States with a ZIP code of 77020. ... Edith S. Sampson Edith Spurlock Sampson (13 October 1901?-8 October 1979) was a lawyer and judge, and the first Black U.S. delegate to the United Nations. ... Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. ... Texas Southern University is one of the largest historically black universities in the USA. Located in Houston, Texas, the university was established on March 3, 1947 by the Texas Legislature and it was initially named Texas State University for Negroes. ... For the similarly named institution in Chestnut Hill, see Boston College. ... A bar examination is an series of tests conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given American examination usually consists of the following: complicated essay questions concerning that jurisdictions law; the Multistate Bar Examination, a standardized, nationwide examination containing generalized... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Jordan campaigned for the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964.^[1] Her persistence won her a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first African American state senator since 1883 and the first black woman to serve in that body.^[1] Re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, she served until 1972. She was the first African-American female to serve as president pro tem of the state senate and served for one day as acting governor of Texas in 1972. The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. ... The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... In politics, Governor of Texas is the title given to the chief executive of the state of Texas. ...

In 1972, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first black woman from a Southern state to serve in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon Johnson, who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee. Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, or (more commonly) the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. ...

In 1974, she made an influential, televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Jordan was mentioned as a possible running mate to Jimmy Carter in 1976.^[1] Her speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention is considered by many historians to have been the best convention keynote speech in modern history and was ranked 5th in "Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th century" list. She was the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address.^[1] Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... Nixon redirects here. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... Featured at the Democratic National Convention are speeches by prominent party figures. ... For other uses, see Historian (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Keynote (disambiguation). ...

Jordan retired from politics in 1979 and became an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She again was a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1992. In 1995, Jordan chaired a Congressional commission that advocated increased restriction of immigration and increased penalties on employers that violated U.S. immigration regulations. University of Texas redirects here. ...

Her seat in Congress is currently held by African-American Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee. Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Sheila Jackson-Lee (born January 12, 1950 in Queens, New York), an American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995. ...

Many of her speeches have been collected in a new volume from the University of Texas Press, Barbara Jordan: Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder. Edited by Barbara Jordan's friend and colleague, Senator Max Sherman, the book also includes a DVD of many of her most famous speeches.

Legislation

She 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 Community Reinvestment Act (or CRA, Pub. ... The United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed requiring would-be voters to take literacy tests and provided for federal registration of African American voters in areas that had less than 50% of eligible voters registered. ... Dolph S. Briscoe (born April 23, 1923 in Uvalde, Texas) is a wealthy Uvalde rancher and businessman who was the Democratic Governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979. ... Mark Wells White (born March 17, 1940) is an American lawyer, who served as the forty-third Governor of Texas from 1983-1987. ...

Personal life

In 1973, Jordan began to suffer from multiple sclerosis. She had difficulty climbing stairs, and she started using a cane and eventually a wheelchair. She kept the state of her health out of the press so well that in the KUT radio documentary Rediscovering Barbara Jordan, former president Bill Clinton stated that he 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.^[2] Wheelchair seating in a theater. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

Jordan was a lesbian with a longtime companion of more than 20 years, with Nancy Earl; Jordan never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, but in her obituary, the Houston Chronicle mentioned her longtime relationship with Earl.^[3][4] After Jordan's initial unsuccessful statewide races, advisers warned her to become more discreet and not bring any female companions on the campaign trail.^[1][5] This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ...

Jordan met Earl, an educational psychologist who would become an occasional speechwriter in addition to Jordan's partner, on a camping trip in the late 1960s.^[1] A psychologist is an expert in psychology, the systematic investigation of the human body, including behavior, cognition, and affect. ...

Awards and honors

Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. It was only one of many honors given to her, including election into both the Texas and National Women's Hall of Fame. In 1995, she was awarded the prestigious United States Military Academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award, becoming only the second female awardee. Upon her death on January 17, 1996, Jordan lay in state at the LBJ Library on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. She was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, and was the first black woman interred there. Her papers are housed at the Barbara Jordan Archives at Texas Southern University. The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States and is bestowed by the President of the United States (the other award which is considered its equivalent is the Congressional Gold Medal, which is bestowed by an... The National Womens Hall of Fame was created in 1969 by a group of people in Seneca Falls, New York, the location of the first American womens rights convention, now known to historians as the 1848 Womens Rights Convention. ... USMA redirects here. ... The Sylvanus Thayer Award is a military award that is given each year by the United States Military Academy at West Point. ... Lying-in-state is the term used during a major funeral procession when the coffin is placed on public view to allow members of the public to pay their respects to the deceased. ... Lyndon B. Johnson library in Austin, Texas. ... University of Texas redirects here. ... // The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about 22 acres (9 hectares) just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. ... Texas Southern University is one of the largest historically black universities in the USA. Located in Houston, Texas, the university was established on March 3, 1947 by the Texas Legislature and it was initially named Texas State University for Negroes. ...

The main terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is named after her. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (IATA: AUS, ICAO: KAUS, FAA LID: AUS) is a mixed-use commercial airport located five miles (8 km) southeast of the central business district of Austin, the capital of Texas. ...

The Kaiser Family Foundation currently 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.

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is part of the University System of Maryland and located in southern Baltimore County, Maryland near the towns of Catonsville and Arbutus. ... The Advocate (ISSN 0001-8996) is a US-based LGBT-related biweekly news magazine. ...

External links

• Barbara Jordan at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Barbara Jordan at Find A Grave
• 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 in Text and Audio 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