Kay Granger, Fort Worth's First Woman Mayor and 28-Year Congresswoman, Dies at 83

Kay Granger, the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth and the city's representative in Congress for nearly three decades, died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. She was 83.

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced her death in a post on X. No cause was released.

Granger entered Fort Worth politics on the City Council and was elected mayor in 1991, the first woman to hold the office. She served until 1995.

From city hall to Washington

She was sworn into the U.S. House on Jan. 3, 1997, representing Texas' 12th Congressional District, and became the first Republican woman elected to the House from Texas. She held the seat for nearly 28 years and retired in January 2025. Rep. Craig Goldman succeeded her.

In January 2023 she became chair of the House Appropriations Committee, which writes the federal spending bills, and was the first Republican woman to lead it. She announced in March 2024 that she would hand off the gavel before the end of the term, and Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma took over.

What she is credited with here

Local officials point to several Fort Worth projects she worked on across both offices.

She is credited with helping bring FedEx to the Alliance development in north Fort Worth, and with pushing neighborhood revitalization efforts during a period when the city was working to bring down its murder rate.

In Washington she was a consistent advocate for the F-16 and later the F-35 programs built at the Lockheed Martin plant in west Fort Worth. That plant is the largest employer on the city's most recent principal employers list, with about 19,200 workers.

She also worked for years on Panther Island, the flood control and redevelopment project north of downtown, which carries a price tag of about $1.16 billion.

Her last years in office

Granger was absent from votes in Washington for an extended period before her retirement. In December 2024 it was confirmed that she had been living in a Fort Worth senior living facility since that July, and her son said at the time that she had been dealing with dementia.

Reaction

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said she had learned from Granger's "indelible spirit, work ethic, constant sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to Texas and Fort Worth," and called her a mentor and friend.

Goldman said Granger "will be greatly missed, but her incredible legacy will not be forgotten."

Bill Meadows, who joined the City Council in the same class as Granger, said she "was never seeking attention or recognition. She just worked."

Johnson said Granger "devoted her life to serving her Fort Worth, Texas community" and "broke barriers for women in public service."

Sen. Ted Cruz said she "championed North Texas, our Armed Forces, and a strong national defense."

Funeral arrangements had not been announced.