January 17

Barbara Jordan 

Congresswoman Barbara Jordan died on January 17, 1996 in Austin, Texas at age 59.  Known for her strong and commanding oratory skills, Barbara Jordan on July 12, 1976,   became the first African American to deliver a Keynote Address at the Democratic National Convention. She also gave a keynote address at the 1992 Democratic Convention.  Congresswoman Barbara Charline Jordan was the first African American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from the south in 1972.  Prior to entering national politics, in 1966 Jordan became the first African American elected to the Texas Senate since reconstruction. She became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin after leaving politics in 1979. Jordan also served as Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform from 1994 until 1996.  She was born on February 21, 1936 in Houston, Texas.