Jordan, Barbara

Jordan, Barbara (Charline)

(1936– ) U.S. representative; born in Houston, Texas. A Boston University Law School graduate, she practiced law in Houston (1960–67), entering Democratic politics in the Texas Senate (1967–72), continuing in the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–79). A compelling orator, she electrified the 1976 Democratic convention before illness cut short her political career. She became a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin.