Barbara Jordan
Jordan Elementary School
Barbara Charline Jordan was born on February 21, 1936. She graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University in 1956 and received her law degree from Boston University in 1959. She was the first African American elected to the Senate since 1883. In 1972, she was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and served as Governor for a day on June 10, 1972. Jordan later became the first African American Texan in the United States Congress, representing the 18th district. She served as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Committee on Government Operations and the Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. In 1991, Jordan was appointed as Special Counsel for Ethics by Governor Ann Richards. In 1994, she served as Chairwoman of the United States Commission on Immigration Reform and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award to a civilian in the country, from President William Clinton.