Texas Republican Kay Granger, the first woman from the state to be elected to the U.S. House, has died at age 83.
Kay Granger died on Sunday at the age of 83, marking the end of a nearly three-decade career in public service. The first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Granger served from 1996 until her retirement in 2024. She was a trailblazer who served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth and later became the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. Throughout her tenure, Granger was a staunch advocate for national security and defense spending, notably championing the production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in Fort Worth. While she faced some criticism from hard-right conservatives for her approach to federal spending, she was widely recognized for her commitment to North Texas. House Speaker Mike Johnson praised her as a peer who broke barriers for women in public service. Her health challenges, which became public in 2024, eventually led to her retirement from the House.