By Traci Reece, Reference Librarian
As legislators and staff return to the Texas State Capitol for the start of the 88th Texas Legislature, we’re looking back at the legendary Texas Governor Ann W. Richards. Thirty-two years ago this month, Governor Richards was inaugurated as the 45th Governor of Texas. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has in our collections papers, photographs, and publications connected to Texas governors dating back to the first chief executive of the state, including Richards.

Last fall, TSLAC’s Texas Center for the Book selected as the Texas Great Read for 2022 the new picture book biography about Governor Richards, Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne and illustrator Carlynn Whitt. The author spoke about her work and the importance of the TSLAC collections in supporting her research in the promotional video for the Texas Great Read, which also includes images of Richards from our State Archives.
Browne is not the first author to publish a book on Richards. Our library stacks contain numerous titles focusing on the governor, some of which are currently on display in the Reference Reading Room. See below for a list of featured titles.
Title |
Author |
Call Number |
Collection |
A love letter to Texas women |
Bird, Sarah |
Z UA380.8 B532Lo |
Texas Documents, |
Ann Richards : “a woman’s place is in the dome” |
Stumpff, April D. |
920.7 R390a YALL |
Reference Reading Room Collection |
Capitol women : Texas female legislators, 1923-1999 |
Jones, Nancy Baker |
328.764 J722c |
Main |
Claytie and the lady : Ann Richards, gender, and politics in Texas |
Tolleson-Rinehart, Sue. |
976.4063 T578C |
Main |
Indelible Ann : the larger-than-life story of Governor Ann Richards |
Browne, Meghan P. |
976.4063 B814in YALL |
Reference Reading Room Collection |
Let me tell you what I’ve learned : Texas wisewomen speak |
Pierce, Paula Jo |
920.72 P611L |
Main, e-Book online |
Let the people in : the life and times of Ann Richards |
Reid, Jan. |
Z UA380.8 R272LE |
Texas Documents, e-Book online |
Molly Ivins can’t say that, can she? |
Ivins, Molly |
070.92 Iv5m |
Main |
Storming the statehouse : running for governor with Ann Richards and Dianne Feinstein |
Morris, Celia. |
923.2764 R39M |
Main |
Straight from the heart : my life in politics and other places |
Richards, Ann. |
973.927 R39S |
Main |
The great Texas wind rush : how George Bush, Ann Richards, and a bunch of tinkerers helped the oil and gas state win the race to wind power 1st ed. |
Galbraith, Kate |
Z UA380.8 G131gr |
Texas Documents, e-Book online |
The thorny rose of Texas : an intimate portrait of Governor Ann Richards |
Shropshire, Mike. |
976.4063 R39S |
Main |
Where is Sam Houston Buried? : A Tour of the Graves of the Governors of Texas |
Swearingen, John |
923.2764 SW31w |
Main |
With Ann : a journey across Texas with a candidate for Governor |
Bonar, Ave. |
923.2764 R39B |
Main |
Women and Texas history : selected essays |
Downs, Fane |
305.4 W8423 |
Main |
To search for these books and more, visit our library catalog. If you are interested in checking out a title from this post, please visit the Reference Desk or contact your local library about borrowing books through the interlibrary loan program. Call us at 512-463-5455 or send an email to ref@tsl.texas.gov with your questions about our collections.

I did not want my tombstone to read, ”She kept a really clean house. I think I’d like them to remember me by saying, “She opened government to everyone.” Ann Richards, from Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne and Carlynn Whitt. |
Explore Our Collections
Visit us online or at our library to see documents and images from the first century of Texas governors in Texas Governors and their Times, 1846-1946 on exhibit at TSLAC through May 15, 2023.
Sign up for our research webinar, “Researching Texas Governors at TSLAC” scheduled for January 27 at 3:00 p.m.
See more Featured Collections blog posts for additional women’s history topics: