Breaking: Kay Granger, First GOP Congresswoman to Serve Texas in the House, Dies at 83
Kay Granger, a pioneering Texas politician and the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, has passed away at age 83. She served nearly 30 years in Congress, initially representing Fort Worth after her election in 1996, and was also Fort Worth’s first female mayor from 1991 to 1995. Before politics, Granger was a high school teacher and prosperous insurance businesswoman. Her career was marked by numerous firsts for women in public service, including chairing the House Appropriations Committee after the 2022 midterms. She chose not to seek reelection in 2024 due to health issues and stopped voting in the House in July 2024. Her death prompted tributes from prominent figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson and senator Ted Cruz, who highlighted her trailblazing legacy and lifetime dedication to public service.
Kay Granger, the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, died Sunday at the age of 83, according to her family.
Granger served nearly three decades in Congress after first winning election to the House in 1996, representing her hometown of Fort Worth until 2025.
BREAKING: Former Rep. Kay Granger, a trailblazing Texas Republican who served nearly three decades in Congress and became Fort Worth’s first female mayor, has died at 83.
House Speaker Mike Johnson remembered Granger as a “dear friend” who devoted her life to public service and… pic.twitter.com/8vZTctGqO8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 3, 2026
Before entering politics, Granger worked as a high school teacher and later found success in the business world, the Associated Press reported.
She graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965 and spent nine years teaching English literature and journalism.
She later built and managed a successful insurance business for more than two decades while raising three children.
Granger launched her political career by serving on Fort Worth’s zoning commission before she won election to the City Council.
She then became Fort Worth’s first female mayor, serving from 1991 to 1995.
Kay Granger on the phone in her white Toyota Celica convertible shortly after being elected as Fort Worth’s first female mayor, May 1991 pic.twitter.com/xE1hdc7piq
— Dan Bayens (@danbayens) August 3, 2026
Both political parties recruited Granger to run for Congress in 1996, but she entered the race as a Republican and won election to the House.
When the GOP regained control of the House after the 2022 midterms, she became the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.
She did not seek reelection in 2024 due to declining health and stopped voting in the House after July 2024.
House Speaker Mike Johnson honored Granger’s career in a tribute he posted on X Sunday evening.
Johnson said Granger “broke barriers for women in public service.”
Kay Granger devoted her life to serving her Fort Worth, Texas community — as a teacher and businesswoman, on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission and City Council, as Mayor, and in Congress for nearly three decades, where she also served as Chairwoman of the House Appropriations…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) August 3, 2026
He added that “she was a dear friend who will be greatly missed.”
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said he and his wife, Heidi, were “deeply saddened” by Granger’s death.
Heidi and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Kay Granger.
From serving as Fort Worth’s first woman mayor to becoming the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the House and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, Kay lived a life of…
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 3, 2026
Cruz said Granger’s career was defined by “a life of historic firsts.”
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