Born: July 9, 1936, Houston, TX

Education: Texas Southern University, B.A. magna cum laude, 1956; Boston University, J.D., 1959

Died: January 17, 1996, Austin, TX

Embracing strong values on education and service, Jordan challenged race, class, and gender injustice in Texas. The first black person elected to the state Senate since Reconstruction, she rose to national political distinction. Her career reflected black Democrats’ growing power after the reapportionment of electoral districts under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Elected in a majority black and Latino district, she not only championed workers’ rights but also pushed for the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission and a minimum wage bill.

The pioneer black congresswoman from the South, Jordan won election to the US House of Representatives in 1972. She gained respect and influence as a voice of inclusion, civil rights, and equal justice to all. “I am neither a black politician nor a female politician, just a politician,” Jordan declared once (Texas Monthly, March, 1996). The press particularly noted her contributions on the Judiciary Committee, where, by using the Voting Rights Act of 1965, she fought successfully to sustain her black and Latino coalition. Democratic colleagues touted Jordan for her vote and inspired words at the impeachment hearings for President Richard M. Nixon (1974). Voting aye to impeach, she stated: “My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total” (The New York Times, January 18, 1996).