The Barbara C. Jordan Archives

History

Texas Southern University features more than 200 photographs from the Barbara C. Jordan Archives. Barbara Jordan ran for the Texas House twice, in 1962 and 1964. She then ran for the Texas Senate in 1966, winning a seat and becoming the first African American since Reconstruction to serve in the Texas State Senate.

Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, becoming the first African American to represent Texas in the House and the first African American woman from the South to be elected to Congress. Jordan established herself in the Watergate impeachment hearings of 1973, giving a famous speech in support of Nixon’s impeachment and becoming a household name in the process. Jordan later became the first African American to give the keynote address in support of Jimmy Carter at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Jordan left office after three terms in the House in 1979. She then took a teaching position at the University of Texas at Austin where she taught ethics at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs for sixteen years, until her death in 1996.

A well- respected speaker, public servant and educator, Barbara Jordan was a politician of the people. During her years in Congress, Jordan sponsored or cosponsored over three hundred bills, of which twelve are now federal law. Major bills introduced by Jordan include the extension of the Voting Rights Act in 1975; the Consumer Goods Pricing Act; the Antitrust Parens Patriae Act; an amendment of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; and the National Emergencies Act. Jordan was also responsible for passing landmark legislation in the Texas Senate concerning minimum wage, workman’s compensation, healthcare and insurance, and rights for the disabled.

-Gary Chaffee, Archivist, Texas Southern University



At a Glance



Cite This Collection

Here is our suggested citation. Consult an appropriate style guide for conformance to specific guidelines.

The Barbara C. Jordan Archives in The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas Libraries. https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/BCJA/ accessed July 10, 2025.


Explore Holdings

Start browsing through the holdings of this collection in one of the following ways:

Counties (expand list)

Harris County, TX
509
Travis County, TX
489
Ector County, TX
74
Dallas County, TX
33
Middlesex County, MA
32
Los Angeles County, CA
31
Suffolk County, MA
28
Philadelphia County, PA
21
Cook County, IL
18
Walker County, TX
12
New York County, NY
11
Galveston County, TX
10
Fulton County, GA
9
Bexar County, TX
7
Cuyahoga County, OH
7
Macon County, AL
7
Hamilton County, OH
6
Mecklenburg County, NC
6
Wayne County, MI
6
Lancaster County, NE
5
Mercer County, NJ
5
Montgomery County, MD
5
Pinellas County, FL
5
Tuscaloosa County, AL
5
Alameda County, CA
4
Leavenworth County, KS
4
Miami-Dade County, FL
4
Baltimore County, MD
3
Boone County, MO
3
Denver County, CO
3
Jefferson County, KY
3
Lake County, IN
3
Lorain County, OH
3
Orleans Parish, LA
3
Yates County, NY
3
Allegheny County, PA
2
Arlington County, VA
2
Chaves County, NM
2
Collin County, TX
2
Davidson County, TN
2
Franklin County, KY
2
Greenbrier County, WV
2
Hartford County, CT
2
Jackson County, MO
2
Kings County, NY
2
Lubbock County, TX
2
Montgomery County, OH
2
New Hanover County, NC
2
Oklahoma County, OK
2
Orange County, CA
2
Pima County, AZ
2
Prince George's County, MD
2
Pulaski County, AR
2
Shawnee County, KS
2
Shelby County, TN
2
Smith County, TX
2
Arapahoe County, CO
1
Butte County, CA
1
Calhoun County, MI
1
Cameron County, TX
1
Cass County, TX
1
Cherokee County, TX
1
Chittenden County, VT
1
Douglas County, NE
1
Dutchess County, NY
1
East Baton Rouge Parish, LA
1
El Paso County, CO
1
Fairfax County, VA
1
Fort Bend County, TX
1
Franklin County, PA
1
Hennepin County, MN
1
Hinds County, MS
1
Jefferson County, TX
1
King County, WA
1
Knox County, OH
1
La Plata County, CO
1
Lenawee County, MI
1
Lewis and Clark County, MT
1
Miami County, OH
1
Midland County, TX
1
Multnomah County, OR
1
Nassau County, NY
1
New Castle County, DE
1
New London County, CT
1
Ontario County, NY
1
Orange County, NY
1
Potter County, TX
1
Queens County, NY
1
Rapides Parish, LA
1
Rensselaer County, NY
1
Richland County, SC
1
Santa Barbara County, CA
1
Tarrant County, TX
1
Taylor County, TX
1
Tulsa County, OK
1
Ventura County, CA
1
Wake County, NC
1
Warren County, KY
1
Washington County, AR
1
Washington County, TX
1
Washtenaw County, MI
1
Wharton County, TX
1
Williamson County, TX
1

Back to Top of Screen