# Barbara Jordan Barbara Jordan (1936–1996) — Houston-born lawyer, legislator, and one of the great American orators. First Black woman elected to Congress from the South (TX-18, 1973–1979) and the first Black Texas state senator since Reconstruction. Her July 1974 House Judiciary Committee statement during the Watergate impeachment inquiry ("My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total") and her 1976 Democratic National Convention keynote — the first by a Black woman — are canonical texts of American civic rhetoric. Mentored politically by [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]; awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. ## 2026 relevance [[James Talarico]] opened his U.S. Senate nomination acceptance speech at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention by quoting Jordan and claiming her legacy — see [[Talarico Texas Democratic Convention Speech]]. > [!todo] Stub — expand > Full profile: Watergate statement receipt in /Quotes/, 1976 keynote, Texas Senate record, immigration commission chairmanship (1994–96).