Former Congresswoman Kay Granger passed away on Sunday at the age of 83, according to FOX 26 Houston. The station reported her death among its Monday morning news.
Granger was the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the report. Her election marked a milestone for women in the state's Republican politics.
She served for nearly three decades in the House, the station said. That long tenure placed her among the more senior members of the Texas delegation over the years.
Granger later became the first GOP woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, according to FOX 26 Houston. The committee is one of the most powerful in Congress, with broad influence over federal spending.
In 2024, her family shared that the congresswoman had been struggling with dementia, the station reported. The disclosure came in the later stage of her time in public life.
The cause of her death was not officially announced, according to the report. FOX 26 Houston noted the absence of an official statement on how she died.
Her passing drew notice as the end of a long career that broke barriers for Republican women in Texas, according to the station. The report framed Granger as a trailblazing figure in the state's political history.