Throughout March, the Democrats will present an ongoing blog series celebrating American women of distinction, both past and present. Staff members at the Democratic National Committee and several female leaders in the Democratic Party have been asked to write about influential women in our country’s history and leaders who continue making contributions today.
“But if you give us a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." —Ann Richards, 1988 National Democratic Convention Keynote Address
What made Ann Richards so special, as a woman and as a political leader, was her innate ability to connect with people and make them laugh. She sought progressive political change, and did so for 73 years with a smile on her face. As a talented orator and a lively and honest storyteller, she had an incredible ability to connect to her audience. She stands today in history as a model for women who want to make a difference in their communities.
Richards was born in 1933 and grew up in Waco, Texas. She attended Baylor University on a debate scholarship. After graduating college, she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Austin where she earned her teaching degree. While raising four children, Richards became politically active by volunteering for many liberal and progressive Texan candidates, such as Henry B. Gonzalez, Ralph Yarborough, and Sarah Weddington—the lawyer who successfully argued the Roe v. Wade abortion case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Although Richards was well-known in Texas politics since the 1970s—having been elected twice as Treasurer—she first gained national recognition as the Keynote Speaker at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. She was the second woman ever to deliver a Democratic keynote, the first being Barbara Jordan, also of Texas. It was during that speech that she showed millions of people one of her greatest strengths: the ability to communicate effectively with the public. Her speech transformed her into a national political figure, and as an advocate for women’s rights.
In 1991, Richards was elected Governor of Texas, the first female elected to a statewide position in more than 50 years. While she was governor, Texas established site-based decision-making in its public schools, increased prison space and introduced a nationally respected substance-abuse program in its prisons. As a lifetime advocate of civil rights and economic justice, Richards created the most representative and inclusive administration in Texas history—appointing a record number of women, African Americans, and Hispanics to key state boards and commissions. She broke down gender barriers for a generation of Texas women pursuing careers in government. She called it the “New Texas.” Unfortunately she served only one term, losing to George W. Bush in the 1994 gubernatorial election, marking a major shift in Texas politics, as Republican power began to grow in a once Democrat-only state.
We pay tribute to her not just for her great one-liners—but for her tenacity, and the example she set for future generations of women in politics. Her story reminds us that we must continue to do better for ourselves and for our children.