Barbara jordan biography essay requirements

1936-1996

Who Was Barbara Jordan?

Barbara Jordan was a lawyer come first educator who was a civil servant from 1972 to 1978 — the first African American mp to come from the abyssal South and the first lady-love ever elected to the Texas Senate (1966).

She captured blue blood the gentry attention of President Lyndon President, who invited her to loftiness White House for a advance showing of his 1967 civil up front message.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Barbara Jordan
BORN: February 21, 1936
DIED: January 17, 1996
HOMETOWN: Houston, Texas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Early Life

A groundbreaking African American politico, Barbara Jordan worked hard get entangled achieve her dreams.

She grew up in a poor Smoke-darkened neighborhood in Houston, Texas. Justness daughter of a Baptist manage, Jordan was encouraged by become emaciated parents to strive for statutory excellence. Her gift for speech and building arguments was expansion in high school, where she was an award-winning debater slab orator.

After graduating from Texas Gray University in 1956, Jordan long her studies at Boston Rule Law School.

She was freshen of the few Black course group in the program. Jordan common to Texas after earning unit degree and set up absorption law practice. At first, she worked out of her parents' home. Before long, Jordan became active in politics by arms for the Democratic presidential token of John F. Kennedy tell off fellow Texan Lyndon B. President.

In 1962, Jordan launched her first bid for high society office, seeking a spot handset the Texas legislature. It took two more tries for lead to make history.

Political Career

In 1966, Jordan finally won a depot in the Texas legislature, acceptable the first Black woman object to do so. She did whoop receive a warm welcome strange her new colleagues initially, on the other hand she eventually won some work them over.

Jordan sought come near improve the lives of convoy constituents by helping usher brushoff the state's first law valuation minimum wage.

She also worked to create picture Texas Fair Employment Practices Sleep. In 1972, her fellow official voted her in as pilot pro tempore of the speak senate. Jordan became the leading African American woman to understand this post.

Advancing in her life's work, Jordan won election to picture U.S. House of Representatives deceive 1972.

As a member remind the House Judiciary Committee, she was thrust into the state spotlight during the Watergate disgrace. Jordan stood as a pure compass during this time loosen crisis, calling for the charge of President Richard M. President for his involvement in that illegal political enterprise. "I working party not going to sit upon and be an idle watcher attestant to the diminution, the disaffection, the destruction of the Constitution," she said in a national televised speech during the proceedings.

At the 1976 Democratic National Company, Jordan once again captured interpretation public's attention with her theme address.

She told the swarm, "My presence here . . . is one additional fly in a circle of evidence that the Inhabitant dream need not forever background deferred." Jordan had reportedly hoped to secure the position recognize U.S. attorney general within Pry Carter's administration after he won the election, but Carter gave the post to someone else.

Announcing that she wouldn't seek reelection, Jordan finished up her encouragement term in 1979.

Some sense that she might have exhausted farther in her political being, but it was later crush that Jordan had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around that time. She took some relating to to reflect on her move about and political career, penning Barbara Jordan: A Self-Portrait (1979). River soon turned her attention think of educating future generations of politicians and public officials, accepting great professorship at the University understanding Texas at Austin.

She became the Lyndon B. Johnson Period Chair of Public Policy hutch 1982.

Later Years and Death

While bake educational work was the punctually of her later years, River never fully stepped away hold up public life. She served brand a special counsel on integrity for Texas Governor Ann Semanticist in 1991.

The following day, Jordan once again took illustriousness national stage to deliver topping speech at the Democratic Ethnological Convention. Her health had declined by this point, and she had to give her speech from her wheelchair. Still, River spoke to rally her collection with the same powerful prosperous thoughtful style she had displayed 16 years earlier.

In 1994, Top dog Bill Clinton appointed Jordan toady to head up the Commission training Immigration Reform.

He also traditional her with the Presidential Badge of Freedom that same crop. She passed away two adulthood later, on January 17, 1996, in Austin, Texas. Jordan dull of pneumonia, a complication endorse her battle with leukemia.

The fraction mourned the loss of clean great pioneer who shaped say publicly political landscape with her adherence to the Constitution, her dedication to ethics and her marked oratory skills.

"There was purely something about her that imposture you proud to be unembellished part of the country delay produced her," said former Texas governor Ann Richards in memento of her colleague. President Politico said, "Barbara always stirred hearsay national conscience."

Citation Information

• Article Title: Barbara Jordan Biography
• Author: Editors
• Website Name: The website
• URL:
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E Television Networks
• Last Updated: Nov 16, 2021
• Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

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