Representative Isaac M. Jordan

Isaac M. Jordan, born Isaac Alfred Jordan, (May 5, 1835 – December 3, 1890) was a United States Congressman, prominent Ohio lawyer, and a founding member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. A Democrat representing Ohio’s first congressional district for one term in the Forty-eighth Congress, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history while also maintaining a distinguished legal career and playing a formative role in American collegiate fraternal life.

Jordan was born on May 5, 1835, in Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of eleven children of Amos Jordan and Sarah (née Smith) Jordan. His family moved to Springfield, Ohio, in 1837, and later, when he was around fourteen years old, to West Liberty, Ohio. He attended the common schools in both Springfield and West Liberty, reflecting the family’s westward movement within the state. Jordan then pursued further studies at Geneva Hall in Northwood, Ohio, where he spent two years and graduated in 1854, laying the academic foundation for his later collegiate and professional achievements.

Following his early schooling, Jordan enrolled at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. There he joined the Kappa chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, along with his childhood friend Benjamin Piatt Runkle. A disagreement within that chapter led Jordan, Runkle, and five other men to withdraw and establish a new fraternity, originally known as Sigma Phi, on June 28, 1855; this organization soon became known as Sigma Chi. Jordan played a leading role in the new fraternity’s formative period, serving as the chapter’s consul primus, or presiding officer, during the spring semester of 1856 and acting as orator at Sigma Chi’s first Grand Chapter meeting in 1857. He was also active in the Erodelphian Literary Society at Miami University, an involvement that helped hone his skills in oratory and debate. Jordan received his A.B. degree from Miami University in 1857 and was later awarded an A.M. degree there in 1862.

After graduating from Miami University, Jordan turned to the study of law. He read law in Dayton, Ohio, in the office of his brothers, Jackson A. Jordan and Nathan E. Jordan, and was admitted to the bar in 1858. That same year he began practicing law in Dayton with his brothers in the firm of Jordan & Jordan. During this period, he altered his middle initial from “A” to “M”—not standing for any particular name—in order to distinguish himself professionally from his brother Jackson A. Jordan, as he believed the initials “J. A.” and “I. A.” Jordan could easily be confused. In 1860, Jordan moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he continued to build his legal career. He first worked for Judge Thomas M. Key, then with attorney Thomas Washington, and later with Flamen Ball, the United States District Attorney. In 1864, he formed a law partnership in Cincinnati with his brother Nathan E. Jordan. Over time, additional family members and associates, including Homer Jordan, Joseph W. O’Hara, and his nephew Jordan Thomas, joined the firm, which became known as Jordan & Jordans and developed into a well-regarded practice in the city.

On May 5, 1863, Jordan married Elizabeth Phelps, the daughter of an attorney in Covington, Kentucky. The couple had five children, though two of them died in childhood, a not uncommon tragedy in the nineteenth century. While maintaining his growing family and legal practice, Jordan remained closely connected to his fraternity. In 1881, he helped establish the Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of Sigma Chi, strengthening the organization’s presence beyond college campuses. At the Fifteenth Grand Chapter of Sigma Chi in 1884, he delivered a notable address in which he articulated the standard by which all pledges and brothers of the fraternity should be judged. This formulation, later known as the “Jordan Standard,” became a foundational statement of Sigma Chi’s expectations for character and conduct and remains one of the fraternity’s most enduring legacies.

Jordan’s prominence as a lawyer and civic figure in Cincinnati led to his election to national office. In 1882, he was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth United States Congress from Ohio’s first congressional district, a district that was traditionally Republican. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives, from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885. During this period, he contributed to the legislative process as a member of the Democratic Party, representing the interests of his Cincinnati-area constituents at a time of significant economic and political change in the post–Civil War and Reconstruction era. His election in a Republican-leaning district underscored both his personal popularity and the respect he commanded within the community.

After completing his single term in Congress, Jordan declined to run for reelection, citing business reasons. The death of his brother Jackson created a vacancy and increased responsibilities at the family law firm, and Jordan chose to return full-time to his legal practice in Cincinnati. Resuming his work at Jordan & Jordans, he continued to be an influential figure in the city’s legal and civic affairs while maintaining his longstanding involvement with Sigma Chi and other professional and social organizations.

Isaac M. Jordan’s life came to a sudden and tragic end on December 3, 1890, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died from injuries sustained after accidentally falling down an open elevator shaft, an incident that shocked the local community and his many associates in law, politics, and fraternal circles. He was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, one of the city’s most prominent burial grounds. Jordan’s legacy endures through his contributions to the legal profession, his service in the United States Congress, and his foundational role in the Sigma Chi fraternity, particularly through the enduring influence of the Jordan Standard.