Grace Jordan

Grace Edgington Jordan (April 16 1892–September 20 1985) was an American writer and journalist who wrote primarily about her adopted home state of Idaho. She was the wife of former Idaho governor and United States Senator Leonard B. Jordan.

Early life

Born Grace Edgington in Wasco, Oregon in 1892 to a doctor and a schoolteacher, she graduated with an honors degree in English from the University of Oregon.cite web|url=http://www.boiseschools.org/schools/jordan/about.html|title=About Grace Jordan School|accessdate=2008-06-17|publisher=Boise School District] Following graduation, she worked as a journalist in Eugene and Lewiston, Idaho.

On December 30 1924, she married Len Jordan. In 1933, the Jordans and their three children moved to a ranch in Hells Canyon along the Snake River in Idaho. In 1947, Len was elected to the Idaho state senate; in 1950, he was elected Governor of Idaho, and the family moved to Boise, Idaho where she served as First Lady of Idaho.

Writing and teaching career

In 1954, Jordan's first book, "Home Below Hells Canyon" was published. The book, a memoir of her time along the Snake River, has since been translated into several languages and remains her best-known work.cite web|url=http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/1143.pdf|title=Grace Edgington Jordan|publisher=Idaho State Historical Society|accessdate=2008-06-17] Several other books about Idaho life followed and Jordan wrote poetry and taught creative writing at several Idaho universities. In 1962, Len was appointed to the U.S. Senate to complete the term of Henry Dworshak, who had died. Len was subsequently elected to a full term and the Jordans relocated to Washington D.C. until his retirement in 1972. Grace Jordan's book "The Unintentional Senator" describes this time in their life.

The Jordans returned to Boise, where she died in 1985, two years after her husband. Grace Jordan School in the Boise School District is named in her honor.

References

Bibliography

"Home Below Hells Canyon" (1954) (ISBN 0803251076) "Canyon Boy" (1960) "The King’s Pines of Idaho" (1961) "The Unintentional Senator" (1972) "The Country Editor" (1976)