Houston, Harris County
(February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) Barbara Charline Jordan, one of the nation’s preeminent African-American orators and politicians of the 20th century, was born in Houston to Benjamin Meredith and Arlyne Patten Jordan. Her close-knit family greatly influenced her religious and moral attitudes, as well as the academic ambitions that would propel her to success. She excelled in oratory competitions at Wheatley High School and Texas Southern University. In 1956, Jordan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern with a degree in government studies. She enrolled at Boston University Law School and was one of two females, both black, to graduate in 1959. Her political career began in 1966, when she became the first African-American woman to win a seat in the Texas Senate. Jordan’s intelligence and oratory skills helped her navigate “good ole boy” politics to earn the respect of her peers. On March 28, 1972, she became the first black woman to be elected President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate. The same year, she won a seat in the United States Congress. Jordan gained national fame when she served on the House Judiciary Committee to investigate President Richard Nixon’s participation in the 1972 Watergate scandal. In 1979, Jordan, then suffering from health problems, moved to Austin, where she accepted a professorship at the University of Texas. Although she was retired from public office, she continued to serve as a political advisor and national figure until her death. Barbara Jordan once said, “I never wanted to be run-of-the-mill,” and in avoiding that characterization, she broke down racial and gender barriers in state and national politics. (2012)