[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9618-S9620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ANN RICHARDS

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I also come to the floor today to pay 
tribute to one of the most important and unique individuals in the 
history of American politics, Governor Ann Richards.
  As a female politician from the South, Ann Richards was a person who 
I considered to be a role model. She was a great American patriot who 
had overcome tremendous obstacles to become a valued public servant 
while blazing a trail for aspiring female politicians, with wit, style, 
and grace like no one else could produce.
  I consider it my good fortune to have come to know her over the years 
as a friend. While I am deeply saddened by her passing, it is so 
difficult not to smile whenever I think of Ann. She was remarkably 
gifted at using her keen sense of humor to say exactly what was on her 
mind and to get her point across in an effective and quotable way, 
proving she was truly one of a kind.
  Ann Richards became the first woman elected to statewide office in 
Texas in more than 50 years--winning a seat as treasurer in 1982. In 
1990, she became the first female to be elected Governor of the State 
of Texas.
  As Governor, she took pride in the fact that she appointed more women 
and minorities to State positions than any of her predecessors. During 
her tenure, the Texas economy enjoyed growth, despite the trend of the 
slumping U.S. economy.
  Additionally, her audits of the State bureaucracy saved Texans $6 
billion, and her reform of the State prison system resulted in fewer 
violent offenders being released.
  Perhaps her most remarkable achievement was maintaining the respect 
and admiration of Texans in the midst of not being reelected to office. 
The poll numbers of her popularity remained above 60 percent at that 
time.
  Ann has been noted as saying that she did not want her tombstone to 
read, ``She kept a really clean house,'' but, instead, preferred to be 
remembered by it reading, ``She opened government to everyone.''
  Ann Richards will certainly be remembered as doing much more than 
keeping a clean house. She opened a door for me as a female politician 
in the South, and I know I speak for so many when I say that she 
continues to have my respect and my admiration.
  She will certainly be dearly missed by this Senator and so many, many 
more across this Nation.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. President, I yield to my colleague from Connecticut.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank our colleague 
from Arkansas for her eloquent comments both about rural America as 
well as on our wonderful friend, Ann Richards. I want to add my voice 
of condolence to her family and friends, not only in Texas but across 
this great country of ours, because she had friends that reached all 
across this land of ours--in fact, beyond the shores of the United 
States in her work after she left public life, working in the private 
sector as a great representative of a number of interests, including 
some that were offshore.
  She was a remarkable person, and Senator Blanche Lincoln has captured 
her very, very well. There are so many things I remember about her. She 
was a strong-willed woman. She had definite and clear views, and she 
was not shy about expressing them to you. But she probably had one of 
the best senses of humor of anyone I ever met in American politics. She 
could make you laugh. She could take a situation and bring up an 
anecdote or a story to make her point that would bring the house down.
  Regardless of your point of view, Ann Richards had a gift to 
communicate with the American public like few other people I have ever 
met in public life. And it was a gift because she did so many good 
things with her talents.
  Both as the State Treasurer of Texas and as Governor of that State, I 
got to know her very well, when I was the general chairman of the 
Democratic National Committee. She was a tremendous source of help to 
me in those years of 1995 and 1996 when I was campaigning and 
supporting Democrats across the country.

[[Page S9619]]

  But her politics transcended partisan politics. She was beloved and 
admired and cared for by people of all political stripes and colors in 
this country. She will be sorely missed. But as Senator Lincoln said, 
the memories of her are going to linger on for an awful long time. 
Every time you mention her name, a smile comes to your face because she 
brought many smiles many times on the countless occasions I heard her 
address audiences across the country.
  I thank Senator Lincoln and others who have spoken about her. I do 
not have prepared remarks, but I just wanted to express my feelings 
about this wonderful person.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, today we mourn the loss of a great 
Texan and certainly a trailblazer in our State. Former Governor Ann 
Richards passed away last night after a long battle with cancer. Today, 
I want to pay tribute to her because she really made a mark on our 
State and our Nation.
  Ann Richards was the second woman to hold office in Texas as Governor 
and the first to be elected in her own right. When she was Governor of 
Texas, I was State treasurer, and we certainly had a very strong and 
positive working relationship. She embodied the Texas spirit as well as 
anyone I have ever known, and her enthusiasm for life was evident in 
everything she did.
  I didn't agree with her on issues--sometimes I did and sometimes I 
didn't--but you could always respect her because she spoke straight. 
She told you what she could do and she told you what she couldn't do. 
She gave some pretty good advice along the way.
  She could have chosen another career--that of entertainer--and been 
quite successful. She was one of the best. But instead, she chose 
politics--and she chose to try to make a difference in government, in 
our State and Nation. She was successful at that as well.
  Ann Richards was born on September 1, 1933 in Lakeview, TX, very near 
Waco. She did grow up in Waco.
  She graduated from Baylor University in 1954. She attended on a 
debate scholarship.
  She was the mother to four children and the grandmother to eight.
  One of the things she will always be remembered for is how she tried 
to bring women into public office--and certainly to the table--to make 
sure that women were represented well.
  I was so struck with her after she lost the Governor's race. She, of 
course, lost the Governor's race the second time she ran against 
Governor George Bush, who became President George Bush. But I think it 
was the way she handled the loss that showed the real spirit that she 
had. She just turned the page and kept right on going.
  She had a career in New York and never gave up her home in Texas. But 
she took New York by storm too. She was a commentator on television, 
always with the witty saying that people would remember.
  I remember after she left the Governor's office, I was in Istanbul, 
Turkey. I walked into one of the markets there, and who did I see 
looking at rugs but Ann Richards. She was having the best time. 
Whatever she was doing at the time was her total absorption. She was 
finding out everything about those rugs.
  I saw her sometimes up here in Washington when we would be working on 
something that would be for Texas where we would agree. She would take 
her side and I would take my side, working for the same cause but 
trying to make sure that we covered all of our respective bases.
  I knew, of course, that she had cancer. I wrote her a note after the 
diagnosis became public.
  She wrote me a note back. It was vintage Ann Richards. It was: This 
is just one thing you get through in life, and I'm going to get through 
it. She was very upbeat, very positive, just the way she would always 
be, tackling the task of the moment and doing it with gusto.
  I did not know she was so near the end. I was sorry that it came so 
quickly. She will be someone whom no Texan who has ever known her or 
who has lived in Texas during her service will ever forget. I want to 
make sure the tributes to her are worthy of the contribution she made.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I join with my distinguished colleague from 
Texas in expressing condolences to the bereaved family, the State of 
Nevada, the Democrats in the Senate and America, for the loss of Ann 
Richards.
  She was my friend. She came to Nevada whenever I asked her to. Why 
did I ask her to come? Because she was entertainment plus. She was 
always good for a stunning speech, a stirring speech.
  For those who had the good fortune this morning to listen to Public 
Radio, what a wonderful piece they had on Ann Richards, the many funny 
things she did in Texas to change the ways of Texas. She modernized 
Texas.
  We will all miss her. It is a loss for all Americans. We are 
comforted to know that Ann departed this world in high spirits and 
humor, just as she would expect us to continue our lives.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the life 
and legacy of a truly remarkable woman--Governor Ann Richards. She will 
long be remembered and loved for her tireless activism, her charisma 
and compassion, and her excellence in governance. I will also remember 
her as a friend and a trailblazer. Ann Richards showed women that 
anything and everything was possible.
  Ann Richards was an original. Yet her life was the American dream. 
She was born in Lacy-Lakeview, TX, to her loving parents Robert Cecil 
Willis and Mildred Iona Warren. As a young woman, she took an early 
interest in politics and participated in Girls State, a youth 
leadership and citizenship program for high school students. She later 
studied at Baylor University on a debate scholarship. After earning her 
teaching certificate at the University of Texas, she began her 
remarkable career of public service as a junior high school teacher.
  Governor Richards became known as an effective advocate and an 
accomplished political leader. In 1976, Governor Richards successfully 
ran for commissioner of Travis County, the same year I won my seat in 
the House of Representatives. She held this post until 1982, when she 
was elected State Treasurer--the first woman elected to a statewide 
office in Texas in over 50 years. In 1991, when I was the only female 
Democratic Senator, Ann Richards became one of the few female Governors 
in the country. We showed that--together--women can make change.
  As Governor of Texas, Ann Richards spearheaded an economic 
revitalization program that expanded Texas' economy during a nationwide 
recession, and also led an effort to expand State funding of public 
schools. In 1988, she charmed the Nation with her witty, passionate 
remarks as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.
  People have called Ann quick-witted and feisty. Well, I happen to 
like feisty people. She stood up for what she believed in. She fought 
for what she felt was right. And she made a difference. She served her 
Nation and she served her State.
  Governor Richards' death is a tragedy but her life was a triumph. I 
offer my heartfelt condolences to Governor Richards' children, who were 
at her bedside when she passed, to her friends, and to all those whose 
lives she touched. She and her family are in my thoughts and prayers at 
this very sad time.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I was saddened to learn that my friend 
Ann Richards passed away last night after a courageous battle with 
cancer. She was a wonderful person and an outstanding public servant, 
and she will be missed.
  Ann brought delight, excitement, ability, and compassion to public 
life, and she was an American original. To her public service was a 
calling, and she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the goal of 
building a better future for all Americans, regardless of income, race, 
or gender.
  She was a trailblazer in many ways, and she was also one of the last 
great American characters in politics, someone who projected joy and 
optimism even in the face of adversity. None of us who were there will 
ever forget her brilliant keynote address to the Democratic National 
Convention in 1988. She was truly one of a kind.
  As Governor of Texas, she fought hard for equal opportunity, 
appointing

[[Page S9620]]

more African Americans, Hispanics, and women to State office than the 
previous two Governors combined.
  She used her skill and wit to help pass vital legislation in Congress 
too. I will never forget her hard work on the Civil Rights Act of 1991, 
the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and 
the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
  There will never be another Ann Richards, and we will never forget 
her.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President yesterday, we lost a great politicial 
great woman with an incredibly energy who helped to change the attitude 
of Texas politics.
  Ann Richards was born in Lakeview, TX, in 1933. She died yesterday, 
September 13, in Austin, TX, at the age of 73.
  She battled cancer in the last months of her life, being diagnosed 
with esophageal cancer in March and undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
  I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to her four children--
Cecile, Daniel, Clark and Ellen--who were with her when she passed 
away.
  Ann Richards was a homemaker and teacher before beginning her 
political career as a county commissioner in Travis county, TX, in 
1976. Six years later, in 1982, she ran for State treasurer and won. 
She was reelected in 1986. Winning the office of Texas State treasurer 
made her the first woman elected statewide in nearly 50 years.
  Like so many female politicians of our time, running for office in a 
male-dominated political environment took courage and determination. 
But Ann didn't take on these challenges only to prove that she was a 
worthy candidate. She wanted to show Texas, and the Nation, that all 
women could succeed in the same way that men had for many years. She 
blazed a trail for women, in politics and in life.
  Two years later, in 1990, Ann Richards narrowly won the election to 
Governor, winning by a margin of 49 to 47 percent. Again, she fought a 
tough campaign battle against a male opponent. But with her fierce 
determination, she came out on top.
  During her 4 years in the Governor's office, Ann Richards made a 
strong effect, championing what she referred to as the ``New Texas.''
  As Governor, Ann Richards promoted women and minorities who 
historically were ignored in Texas politics; reformed the Texas prison 
system; backed proposals to reduce the sale of semiautomatic firearms 
and ``cop-killer'' bullets in the State; instituted the Texas State 
lottery to provide funding for education; revitalized the State's 
economy; and worked to protect the environment, particularly with a 
veto of legislation that would have allowed for the destruction of the 
Edwards Aquifer in south central Texas.
  She was defeated in her 1994 reelection campaign by George W. Bush.
  Near the end of her term as Governor, Ann Richards said: ``I think 
I'd like them to remember me by saying, `She opened government to 
everyone.' ''
  She was a popular figure in Texas politics, known for her white head 
of hair and her great sense of humor.
  And she was daring, on the political stage and off. At the age of 60, 
she learned to ride a motorcycle.
  Ann Richards will be missed. For her charisma, for her integrity, and 
for her honesty.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart, to pay 
tribute to a remarkable woman and patriot, Ann Richards.
  There are so many words that I could use to describe Ann. She was 
vibrant, fiery, quick-witted, fearless, but for me the word that I 
think captures her best is genuine.
  With Ann, what you saw was what you got. She had an authenticity that 
is rare in life, and even rarer in politics.
  Even with all of her charisma and charm bubbling over, Ann would be 
the first to tell you that her life was not perfect and that she had 
made many mistakes over the years. But it was her embrace of those 
imperfections, and the wisdom to see that she could learn from her 
mistakes, that made her such a successful leader. People could relate 
to her.
  When she won the Governor's office in 1990, Ann decided she really 
wanted to shake things up in Texas. So she made it her mission to 
appoint more minorities to State boards and commissions than any 
Governor before her.
  According to the Houston Chronicle, about 44 percent of her 
appointees were female; 20 percent Hispanic; and 14 percent Black. That 
is in comparison to her two predecessors, who had given more than 77 
percent of their appointments to White men.
  So not only did Ann blaze a trail by being the first woman elected 
Governor of Texas in her own right, but she opened the doors of the 
State house to those who otherwise would have been in the back of the 
line.
  Why? Because she understood that you can't just talk the talk, you've 
got to walk the walk. She knew that change was a good thing, even if it 
made people squirm in their boots.
  There are a lot of people talking today about what a tremendous loss 
this is for Texas. I heard our President, George W. Bush say that, 
``Ann loved Texas. And Texans loved her.'' But I have to take that one 
step further and say, Ann loved America, and Americans loved Ann. She 
barreled her way into our hearts, and for that we have been made all 
the richer.
  I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Ann's children: 
Cecile, Daniel, Clark and Ellen, her eight grandchildren, and all those 
who knew and loved her. She will be sorely missed, but I am sure, 
always remembered.

                          ____________________