Buried Treasures: the Barbara Jordan Archives: JFK: 50 Years On

About Barbara Jordan

When Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 she became the first African-American woman to represent a previously Confederate state in Congress. In 1976 Barbara Jordan became the first African-American Woman to deliver a keynote address at a political convention, and Jordan addressed the Democratic National Convention again in 1992—to date, Jordan is the only person to have delivered the keynote address at the DNC twice. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan was in the national spotlight during the Watergate hearings that would eventually lead to the resignation of President Nixon. Her style of oration and clarity of vision on the issues made her potential as a presidential candidate a topic of conversation among liberals. In 1994 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom the nation's highest civilian honor. Despite her declining health she continued to teach and serve in public office including a post on the Presidential task force on immigration reform. Jordan died of pneumonia on January 17, 1996 at the Austin Diagnostic Medical Center. Jordan was eulogized by both President Clinton and former Texas Governor Ann Richards. On January 20, 1996, Barbara Jordan was buried at the Texas State Cemetery which is an honor reserved for Texas heroes. She is believed to be the first African-American to have been buried there.

Friday, November 22, 2013

JFK: 50 Years On

Letter from a constituent concerning the
Kennedy assassination. Barbara Jordan
Papers, 1979BJA001, Box 369, Folder 5.

The Barbara Jordan Archives observes the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While Jordan and Kennedy never met (to the best of our knowledge), Jordan certainly had a connections to the President--Lyndon B. Johnson, a commitment to public service and through the spirit of Kennedy's message.

Buried Treasures: the Barbara Jordan Archives

About Barbara Jordan

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Friday, November 22, 2013

JFK: 50 Years On

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