Ann Richards

Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was born in 1933 near Lakeview, outside Waco, and graduated from Baylor University. After working as a teacher and becoming active in Democratic campaigns, she won election to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 1976. Richards moved to statewide office in 1982 when voters elected her state treasurer. Her political profile expanded nationally after her keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, and in 1990 she won election as governor of Texas.

Richards served as governor from January 1991 to January 1995. Her administration emphasized audits and management changes in state government, education and prison policy, substance-abuse programs and a broader pool of women and minority appointees to state boards and offices. The Texas Lottery began during her term, and her governorship coincided with major debates over school finance, criminal justice and economic development. George W. Bush defeated Richards in the 1994 election. She later worked in consulting and public service before dying in 2006 and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

Richards combined a highly recognizable speaking style with a record rooted in the mechanics of state government. Her years as treasurer and governor made fiscal oversight, agency management and appointments recurring parts of her public identity rather than treating the governorship mainly as a platform for national politics.

Her administration is especially remembered for increasing the number of women and minority Texans appointed to state positions. Her 1994 defeat also marked a major transition in modern Texas politics as George W. Bush began the gubernatorial career that later led to the presidency.