109 HRES 1050 IH: Honoring the life and accomplishments of U.S. House of Representatives 2006-09-27 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1050 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 27, 2006 Ms. Solis (for herself, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Pelosi, Ms. Norton, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Tauscher, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. DeLauro, Mrs. McCarthy, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Slaughter, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, and Ms. Kaptur) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform RESOLUTION Honoring the life and accomplishments of the late Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas.

Whereas Ann Richards was elected Governor of Texas in 1990 and was a role model for women in politics and for women throughout the Nation; Whereas Ann Richards was the first woman elected Governor of Texas in her own right, rather than as a successor to her spouse or a male Governor who died, resigned, or was impeached; Whereas at the time of her election in 1990, Ann Richards was only the twelfth woman elected Governor in United States history, and only the seventh woman elected Governor in her own right; Whereas only 29 women have been elected Governor in the United States, and women Governors have served in only 21 States and 1 territory; Whereas in 1976, Ann Richards was elected to her first government office, defeating an incumbent to become the county commissioner of Travis County, Texas; Whereas in 1982, Ann Richards became the first woman elected to a statewide office in Texas in over 50 years when she was elected to her first statewide office as the State treasurer, a position to which she was reelected 4 years later; Whereas in 1988, Ann Richards delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, which catapulted her to fame as a national political figure and included her critique of then Vice President George H.W. Bush as well as her coining of the famous phrase: Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.; Whereas Ann Richards declared her Governor’s administration to be the New Texas and, in the interest of diversifying the State government to better represent the population of Texas, appointed more women, African-Americans, and Hispanics to commissions and State boards than any previous Governor of Texas; Whereas Ann Richards’s indomitable wit, spirit, intelligence, tenacity, and sense of civic duty helped propel her to the highest office in Texas and solidified her as a nationally known leader; Whereas Ann Richards was a pioneer for women in politics and other fields, and helped shatter social barriers that held women back from powerful roles in government and business; and Whereas Ann Richards died on September 13, 2006, at the age of 73, in Austin, Texas: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)honors the life and accomplishments of the late Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas; (2)recognizes the contributions of Ann Richards to the State of Texas, to the progress of women in politics, and to the progress of women throughout the United States; and (3)expresses condolences to the family and loved ones of Ann Richards.