Barbara Jordan was an American lawyer, educator, and politician from Texas. She was the first African American congresswoman from the South, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Jordan was a skilled public speaker from a young age and attended Texas Southern University before graduating magna cum laude in 1956. She then attended Boston University Law School, where she was oneof only two African American women from Houston to graduate. Jordan’s political career began in 1966 when she was elected to the Texas Senate, becoming the first African American member since 1883 and the first woman ever elected to that legislative body.Jordan was an effective legislator in Texas, focusing on the environment, antidiscrimination clauses in state business contracts, and urban legislation.

She gained national attention during the Watergate scandal in 1974 when she participated in the televised House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon. Her keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention confirmed her reputation as one of the most commanding and articulate public speakers of her era.