Barbara Jordan (1936-1996), keynote speaker at the National Women's Conference, Houston, Texas. Jordan served as congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, the first black woman from a Southern state to do so. She was the first female African American state senator (Texas senate) in the 1960s. When she retired from politics she became adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1976, she became the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. It is considered by many to be one of the best convention keynote speeches ever given.