Kay Granger

Norvell Kay Granger (; January 18, 1943 – August 2, 2026) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025. A Republican, Granger chaired the House Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024.

A onetime teacher and businesswoman, Granger served on the zoning commission of Fort Worth and on the Fort Worth City Council. She was elected as the first female mayor of Fort Worth in 1991 and served in that capacity until 1995. Granger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. She was the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Republican woman to chair the House Committee on Appropriations. She graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1961 and from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965.

Before business and politics, Granger was a journalism and English teacher at Richland High School in the Birdville School District. Granger then became an insurance agent with her own business.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Dallas on May 21, 1991, the same day that Granger was sworn in as Mayor of Fort Worth. Granger joined Dallas Mayor Annette Strauss at events welcoming the Queen and encouraged the Queen to visit Fort Worth on her next trip.

U.S. House of Representatives Elections

Granger was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1996. She was a Republican. After U.S. Representative Pete Geren announced he would retire in 1996, both the Democratic and Republican parties worked to recruit Granger to run for his seat. Granger represented Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025.

In 2020, Granger received the endorsement of President Donald Trump for her re-election campaign.

Tenure Granger was elected Conference Vice Chair, the fourth-ranking position among House Republicans, in 2006. She served as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations. She also sat on the United States House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Defense (she was the first woman to do so) and the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. Granger also served as a House Chief Deputy Whip.

Granger sponsored a bill to give the Congressional Gold Medal to the Monuments Men from World War II. These were individuals who worked to identify and preserve art and cultural artifacts from destruction during World War II. This bill became law and the Congressional Gold Medals were awarded to the living Monuments Men in October 2015.

Granger was a member of the House Appropriations Committee for 25 years. She served as the ranking member of the Committee. After the Republican Party gained a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 elections, Granger was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.

Retirement On October 30, 2023, Granger confirmed that she would not run for re-election in 2024. On March 22, 2024, she announced that she would step down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee as soon as the Republican Steering Committee chose her replacement; Granger's last recorded vote was on July 24, 2024; she was then absent from the Capitol until she returned to Washington in mid-November 2024 for a ceremony celebrating her work on the House Appropriations Committee.

In December 2024, media reports confirmed that Granger had been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024; her son said she had "dementia issues". The incident sparked public backlash and renewed scrutiny of elderly politicians being allowed to serve in spite of advanced age and medical issues.

Republican Craig Goldman was elected to represent Texas's 12th congressional district on November 5, 2024.

Political positions The Washington Post described Granger as socially centrist, but fiscally conservative. In 2013, the National Journal, a nonpartisan organization, gave Granger a composite political ideology score of 73% conservative and 27% liberal. By October 2021, she was recorded as having voted with President Biden's position on legislative issues about 11% of the time.

Abortion Granger formerly supported abortion rights and Roe v. Wade. She reversed her position in 2020, asserting that she was anti-abortion and signed an amicus brief that asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe.

Granger's abortion reversal was especially significant given the fact that her 1996 campaign had been promoted by The WISH List, a pro-abortion rights PAC. The WISH List had also supported her 2008 campaign. Granger had received mixed ratings from groups that support legal abortion. As of 2013, she supported banning abortion after 20 weeks, but asserted that abortion was not her top issue. In 2017, she declined to co-sponsor a bill to ban abortion after six weeks. Granger voted for several spending bills that included funding for Planned Parenthood, including some introduced in 2018. In 2018, she also introduced legislation banning federal funding for abortion with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman. In 2019, Granger signed a letter to President Trump urging him to "veto any appropriations bill that weakens current pro-life protections".

Other issues Granger was known for her support for defense spending. Granger was one of four Republicans in the House not to vote for or against repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, though she had previously voted against other repeal proposals. She did not vote either for or against legislation opposing the ban of transgender troops.

During her tenure, Granger supported more than $50 million in earmarks to infrastructure projects in Fort Worth that benefited the Trinity River Vision Authority, an organization led by her son.

Granger voted for a resolution supporting Israel following the October 7 attacks.

Presidential candidate endorsements On September 25, 2007, Granger endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in the Republican U.S. presidential primaries. She became national co-chair of the campaign organization Women for Mitt, filling a vacancy left by the death of Washington State congresswoman Jennifer Dunn.

In 2015, Granger opposed Donald Trump's 2016 presidential candidacy, saying, "He definitely should not be considered to speak for our nation as our president." In 2020, however, she endorsed Trump and was endorsed by him. United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus Iraqi Women's Caucus (Co-Chair) Sportsmen's Caucus Congressional Arts Caucus U.S.–Japan Caucus House Baltic Caucus Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus Republican Study Committee Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans Congressional Taiwan Caucus Congressional Community Health Centers Caucus

Writing In 2006, Granger published What's Right About America, Celebrating Our Nation's Values, a book reflecting on lessons from prominent figures of U.S. history.

Personal life and death Granger had three children and five grandchildren. She was married to John Granger III from 1964 until they divorced in 1978.

Granger died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at her home in Fort Worth on August 2, 2026, at the age of 83.

Honors Kay Granger Elementary School, named in Granger's honor, opened in the Northwest Independent School District in August 2007. Kay Granger Park was named for Granger. It is a city park next to Mullendore Elementary School in North Richland Hills. In 1993, Granger's high school recognized her as a distinguished alumna.

Electoral history