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, 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.

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:

• Texas Women: ‘Gutsy’ and ‘Wise’
• Women in the Texas Legislature