Texas Governors: Indelible Ann

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.

Book cover with illustration of Ann Richards in profile with bluebonnets decorating the bottom portion
Cover: Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Brown and Carlynn Whitt

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.

Texas Center for the Book interview with Meghan P. Browne for the 2022 Texas Great Read, Indelible Ann.

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,

e-Book online

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.

Governor Richards, press conference with Harley Davidson, May 21, 1992. Governor’s activities, 1991-1995, 1992/095-2-1, TSLAC Current Events Photographic Documentation Program Collection. TSLAC.
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:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.