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 Barbara Jordan Grave Posted by:  Web-ling
N 30° 15.922 W 097° 43.633
14R E 622434 N 3348876
The first African American elected to the Texas Senate since Reconstruction, Barbara Jordan went on to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Waymark Code: WM1259
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2006
Views: 135
The grave is located in the Texas State Cemetery, where numerous famous individuals are buried.
This site can also be logged as a virtual geocache, which is how I discovered the location.
Description:
After becoming the speaker for the Harris County Democratic Party, she ran for the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964. She lost on both occasions. Undeterred, Jordan ran for a third time in the newly reapportioned Harris County. She became one of two African Americans elected to the newly reapportioned eleventh district. Jordan was elected to the Texas state senate. She became the first African American since 1883 and the first woman ever to hold the position.
She remained in the state senate for six years, until 1972. During her tenure, she worked on legislation dealing with the environment, establishing minimum wage standards, and eliminating discrimination in business contracts. She was encouraged to run for a congressional seat. She waged a campaign in 1971 for the U.S. Congress. While completing her term of office on the state level, Jordan achieved another first: In 1972, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Jordan served briefly as acting governor of Texas on June 10, 1972, when both the governor and lieutenant governor were out of the state.
The 1974 Watergate scandal gave Jordan national prominence. Despite her personal distaste for an impeachment, Jordan insisted that President Nixon be held accountable for the Watergate fiasco. A Senate investigation, she believed, was warranted. Her televised speech was the center of media attention and critique for days to come.
Source: http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/whm/bio/jordan_b.htm
Date of birth: 02/21/1936
Date of death: 01/17/1996
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Horizontal Marker
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Grounds are open 7 days a week 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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