Former Rep. Kay Granger, a barrier-breaking Texas Republican who rose from Fort Worth city hall to the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee, has died at 83.
Her son, J.D. Granger, confirmed her death. Granger died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Fort Worth. A cause was not immediately announced, though she had described “unforeseen health challenges” in the final months of her congressional career, and her family later said dementia-related illness, including Alzheimer’s disease, had kept her away from Washington for much of 2024.
The news brought an outpouring of tributes from Republican leaders and Texas officials, who remembered nearly three decades of public service and a career defined by firsts. House Speaker Mike Johnson called Granger a close friend and praised her lifetime of work for Fort Worth and the country.
“Kay Granger devoted her life to serving her Fort Worth, Texas community — as a teacher and businesswoman, on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission and City Council, as Mayor, and in Congress for nearly three decades, where she also served as Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee,” Johnson wrote on X. He noted that she was the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the House, and the first Republican woman to chair Appropriations. “Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service.”
Sen. Ted Cruz said Granger “lived a life of historic firsts” and spent nearly 30 years championing North Texas, the armed forces, and a strong national defense. Rep. Craig Goldman, the Republican who succeeded her in Texas’s 12th District, called her a legend who transformed the community she represented. “Kay will be greatly missed, but her incredible legacy will not be forgotten,” he said. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, a former Granger aide, described her as a trailblazer and mentor whose work ethic and commitment to the city left an indelible mark.
Born Norvell Kay Mullendore on Jan. 18, 1943, in Greenville, Texas, Granger grew up in Fort Worth, graduated from Eastern Hills High School, and earned a degree from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965. She taught high school English and journalism, then built a successful insurance business. After her divorce in 1978, she raised three children as a single mother while moving into public life.
She served on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission from 1981 to 1989 and on the City Council from 1989 to 1991. In 1991 she became the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, serving until 1995. As mayor she emphasized economic development and public safety; city leaders later credited her tenure with helping reduce crime and supporting growth that included preservation of local military installations.
Voters sent her to Congress in 1996. She represented the 12th District from 1997 until her retirement in January 2025, winning 14 terms. In Washington she developed a reputation as a conservative focused on fiscal issues, national security, and constituent work. She spent 25 years on Appropriations, becoming the first Republican woman on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and later its chair. After Republicans recaptured the House, she became full committee chair in January 2023 — the first Republican woman to hold the post — and stepped down in April 2024.
A central priority was military readiness and Fort Worth’s defense industry. She was a leading advocate for the F-35 Lightning II fighter program produced by Lockheed Martin in her district and consistently pressed for funding that supported local jobs and national defense.
In November 2023 she announced she would not seek reelection, saying she wanted to finish her term while serving her constituents. She cast her last recorded vote in July 2024. That December her office acknowledged that travel to Washington had become difficult and unpredictable. Reports later confirmed she had been living in a senior community in Fort Worth as her health declined.
Granger left office as one of the most influential Texans of her generation in Congress: a teacher and small-business owner who became mayor, then a 28-year House member who controlled the federal purse strings at the height of her career. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle remembered her as a steady dealmaker who measured success less by national headlines than by what she delivered for Fort Worth and the military. She is survived by her children and grandchildren.
