Tuesday, December 10, 2013

On This Date in 1977...

Page from Jordan's
clippings scrapbook,
January-December 1977


On December 10, 1977, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan made the decision to leave office after three terms in the House of Representatives (1973-1978).  The decision was surprising to some, probably because it happened so quickly and with little fanfare leading up to her decision.  There has been much speculation over the reasons behind Jordan's decision to move on to other things:  her health, disillusionment with the slow-moving processes to get things done in Congress, Carter's failure to nominate her to a cabinet position after his election, etc.  There may be a grain of truth (or not) in some of the theories.  Whatever Jordan's reasons, true to form, when her mind was made up, that was it.  The end came quickly, Jordan finished her last term at the end of 1978 and moved on to teach at UT-Austin in the LBJ School of Public Affairs for the next 17 years.

Here are some items from Jordan's papers that document the end of her Congressional career.

Handwritten draft of
Jordan's resignation
press release, 1977

Letter to the General Services manager
advising him of Jordan's upcoming
press conference, December 9, 1977


















Page from Jordan's clippings
scrapbook, January-December 1977


Jordan's press release, page 1,
December 10, 1977

Jordan's press release, page 2,
December 10, 1977
Page from Jordan's clippings scrapbook.  Article from
Houston Chronicle, December 11, 1977

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