Autograph Note Signed; Acknowledging a Constituents Request
Washington DC: December 11, 1974. 6" x 9", on Congress of the United States Letterhead, 18th District, Texas identifying Jordan as a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Barbara Charline Jordan (1936 – 1996) was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives, and one of the first two African Americans elected to the U.S. House from the former Confederacy since 1901, alongside Andrew Young of Georgia.
Jordan lost her first two attempts at running for the Texas House, but in 1966 she decided to run for the Texas Senate instead. This time, Jordan won and became the first African American woman ever elected to that office. Also, she was the first African American state senator in United States since 1883. She was elected president of the Texas Senate on March 28, 1972, making her the first black woman in America to oversee a legislative body. During this time, Jordan was also running for Congress. Winning by 81 percent, she became the first African American in the 20th century to be elected to Congress from the South.
Starting in 1975, she served three terms on the Judiciary Committee. As the committee began the impeachment process against President Richard M. Nixon, Jordan gave the opening remarks. In her speech, she stated her reasons for supporting President Nixon’s impeachment and her faith in the Constitution. In 1975, she sponsored legislation that expanded the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to include Latinx, Native, and Asian Americans. A year later, she became the first African American and the first woman keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Fine with two mail folds. Item #3295
"Dear Mr. Lewis: This will acknowledge and than you for your letter of December 2nd. At the present time, I am out of photographs. As soon as I have received a new oarder, I will forward one to you. Sincerely, /s/ Barbara Jordan"
Price: $75.00