Kay Granger, the first Republican woman elected to the US House from Texas, died on Sunday at the age of 83, her family announced. Her son, JD Granger, confirmed the cause as Alzheimer's disease.

Granger's prolonged absence from Washington DC in 2024 raised questions, and it was later revealed she was living in a care home with 'dementia issues' - a fact her office had not disclosed for months, as reported by the New York Times.

House Speaker Mike Johnson paid tribute on X, praising her 'extraordinary life of service and lasting legacy' and noting she 'broke barriers for women in public service,' including being the first woman mayor of Fort Worth, the first Republican woman elected to the House from Texas, and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.

Born Norvell Kay Granger in January 1943, she was a high school teacher and businesswoman before entering politics. She served as Fort Worth's mayor from 1991 to 1995 and was elected to the House in Texas's 12th congressional district in 1996. She won 14 consecutive elections, capturing 92% of the vote in 2002. She did not seek re-election in 2024, citing worsening health.

Her final vote was in July 2024, after which she largely vanished from public view. A Dallas Express reporter, Carlos Turcios, discovered she had moved into an assisted living center specializing in memory care, prompting her office to admit in December 2024 that she had been facing 'unforeseen health challenges' since September.

Granger's personal struggles shaped her advocacy. In a 2008 interview, she recounted being a high school teacher with three young children when her husband left, saying, 'You just fight your way through the day.' As Fort Worth mayor, she introduced citizen patrol initiatives that halved the crime rate and attracted major businesses, reviving the city's economy.

In Congress, she served on the advisory board to Speaker Newt Gingrich and later on the appropriations committee, which she eventually chaired. She pushed for steeper non-defense spending cuts than those agreed upon by Kevin McCarthy and Joe Biden to avoid a government default.

Initially a vocal critic of Donald Trump, calling his comments about women 'disgusting' and urging him to drop out of the 2016 race, she later endorsed him for re-election in 2020, earning his endorsement in return.