Honoring the Life and Career of Governor Ann W. Richards

The following resolution was passed by the Democratic National Committee at its meeting on February 3, 2007.

Submitted by:
Linda Chavez-Thompson, DNC Vice Chair/DC
Susan Turnbull, DNC Vice Chair/Maryland
Lottie Shackelford, DNC Vice Chair/Arkansas
Hon. Mike Honda, DNC Vice Chair/California
And the Members of the DNC Executive Committee

A Resolution Honoring the Life and Career of Governor Ann W. Richards

WHEREAS, Ann Richards dedicated her life to public service as a school teacher, an elected official, a leader in the Democratic Party and a constant advocate for sensible solutions to the challenges that face the American people; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Ann Willis was born in Lakeview, Texas on September 1, 1933, grew up in Waco and attended Waco High School, where she attended Girls State; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from Baylor University she earned a teaching certificate from The University of Texas; and

WHEREAS, she taught social studies at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin, Texas from 1955 to 1956; and

WHEREAS, she worked as a campaign organizer for numerous Democratic candidates, including Henry B. Gonzalez, Ralph Yarborough, Sarah T. Hughes, Sarah Weddington, and Wilhelmina Delco; and

WHEREAS, Ann Richards served as a trainer for women candidates and campaign managers; and

WHEREAS, in 1976 she defeated a three-term incumbent to win a seat on the Travis County, Texas Commissioners’ Court; and

WHEREAS, she was elected Texas State Treasurer in 1982 and re-elected in 1986; and

WHEREAS, Ann Richards delivered one of the most memorable and electrifying keynote addresses in DNC Convention history at the 1988 Convention in Atlanta, Georgia;

WHEREAS, in 1990, she was elected the Governor of Texas – the first woman elected in her own right to this office;

WHEREAS, she inaugurated her Governorship by heralding “A New Texas” with an administration that reflected the diversity of her great state;

WHEREAS, Ann Richards’s governorship was marked by major reforms in the Texas prison system, financing for education, access to immunizations for children, and the introduction of the Texas lottery; and

WHEREAS, Ann Richards cultivated a new generation of talented, diverse and passionate young leaders in Texas, who continue to impact politics today; and

WHEREAS, Ann Richards was a woman of not only great wit, charisma and personality – but also of tremendous substance; and

WHEREAS, Ann Richards passed away from esophageal cancer on September 13, 2006, at the age of 73;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) honor Ann W. Richards for her leadership of the Party, her dedication to her country and her love for her beloved state of Texas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the DNC extend its condolences to the entire Richards family, including her children Cecile, Daniel, Clark and Ellen, their spouses and her eight grandchildren.