Former U.S. Rep. Kay Granger has died at the age of 83

Former U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, an influential North Texas Republican who served as Fort Worth’s first female mayor before a nearly three-decade career in Congress, has died at age 83.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed Granger’s death in a Sunday evening X post, praising her for relentless devotion to the Fort Worth and Texas communities.

“Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service,” Johnson wrote.

In addition to being the mayor of Fort Worth for four years starting in 1991, Granger would move on in 1997 to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the House.

Granger was also the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, a position she held from January 2023 until April 2024. She championed military spending, protected the F-35 fighter-jet program in Fort Worth and secured federal money for local projects.

In a statement, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker called Granger a trailblazer and tenacious leader whom she considered a mentor and friend. 

“To Kay’s family, my prayers are with you,” Parker wrote. “What a lady, and the end of an era in political service.”

Her former chief of staff, Cole Rojewski, said on social media that Granger will be remembered as “a genuine legend.”

“She broke every barrier put in front of her and never made a show of it — she just went to work,” Rojewski wrote. “Serving as her chief of staff was the honor of my career. She accomplished more in one life than most of us would in three.”

Granger’s health issues became public in 2024 after questions emerged about her prolonged absence from the House floor, having gone several months without casting a vote.

Her son Brandon Granger told The Dallas Morning News the congresswoman had been experiencing “dementia issues” that were progressing quickly. He refuted reports that his mother was in a memory care facility, explaining she moved to an independent living facility in Fort Worth to be in a more active community of other older people.

In a statement from her office, Granger expressed gratitude for the public’s concern and confirmed health challenges made frequent travel to Washington “both difficult and unpredictable.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.