Kay Granger, the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, died Sunday at the age of 83.
Her son, J.D. Granger, confirmed her death Sunday but did not disclose a cause. In 2024, Granger revealed she was battling what she described as “unforeseen health challenges.”
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She did not elaborate but said frequent travel to Washington had become “both difficult and unpredictable.”
She cast her final vote in July 2024 and did not return afterward. Calls to her congressional office went unanswered, prompting questions about her whereabouts and leading critics to describe her as “missing in action.”
In December 2024, The Dallas Express confirmed Granger was in a senior living facility in Fort Worth.
A long career in Congress
After becoming the first female mayor of Fort Worth, Granger served in Congress from 1997 to 2025, announcing in 2023 that she would not seek re-election.
While campaigning, she often promised constituents she would “attack problems, not people,” while serving.
In her final term as a U.S. lawmaker, she became the first woman from the Republican Party to chair the House Appropriations Committee, putting her in charge of spending legislation.
“Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X Sunday night. “She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Fort Worth, the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.”
Granger was also the first Republican woman to lead the House’s budget panel.
Early career
Granger graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965 and considered a career in fashion, but chose to follow in her mother’s footsteps, pursuing a career in education.
She worked in the Birdville school district, teaching English literature and journalism, for nine years before transitioning to a new career selling insurance. She built her own business, which she managed for more than 20 years.
She got her first taste of politics while serving on the Fort Worth zoning commission, and then was elected to city council.
“It has been said that two kinds of people go to Washington: those who want to be something and those who want to do something,” Granger said. “I went to do something.”
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