by Dick Mac
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Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis) was born in McLennan County, Texas, on September 1, 1933, and died of cancer on September 13, 2006.
Richards was an politician who came to the national spotlight while the Democratic State Treasurer of Texas who delivered the rousing keynote speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Two years later, she was elected the Governor of Texas and is the last Democrat to hold that office since. She was an outspoken and unapologetic feminist, who was a brilliant thinker with an edgy intellectual wit.
She raised four children while building her enormously successful career. In 1980, she sought help for alcoholism and lived the remainder of her life as a sober person.
As governor, Richards faced the economic slump in Texas with revitalization programs that showed growth for Texas while the rest of the nation's fortunes were shrinking. Her efforts to reform the Texas bureaucracy resulted in a half-billion dollar savings (back in the days when a billion dollars was a lot of money).
She reformed the prison system by establishing recovery programs for inmates living with addiction and alcoholism. She promoted the control of semi-automatic guns. She also instituted the first Texas Lottery as a way to finance schools, which were a key issue for her.
To her detriment, she re-instituted laws that criminalized homosexuality, in spite of the fact that her campaign platform included a promise to repeal those laws.
After leaving electoral politics, she remained active in political and cultural campaigns including the development of "Austin City Limits" and the "SXSW Music Festival."
The Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin has been renamed to "Ann Richards Bridge."
A few years after her death, the one-woman show "Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards" began performances staged in San Antonio, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Eventually, the show was reworked and re-titled "Ann" and enjoyed a run on Broadway followed by a national tour.
Although still reviled by conservatives, Ann Richards became a no-nonsense American hero. She was smart, funny, hard-working, effective, and larger than life. The world was a better place when she was in it.
Watch Ann Richards' wonderful speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention:
Photo Credit:
Kenneth C. Zirkel