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Carol Keaton, a pioneering Texas politician who was the first woman to be elected to the role of Mayor and Secretary of the State, passed away Wednesday. She was 85 years old.
Keaton, formerly known as Carol Keaton Strayhorn, died surrounded by Austin’s family, according to the obituary. A dedicated Austinian, Keaton was born and raised in the city and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She served on the Austin Independent School District board of trustees before becoming the city’s first female mayor in 1977, where she served three terms.
“Mom has done so much in her life on behalf of others because she was deeply concerned about improving the lives of her family and individuals from every walk,” a statement from her four sons, Mark, Dudley, Bradley and Scott McClellan, said. “Her tireless dedication and ability to get things done was unparalleled.”
She continued in two terms, running as a Republican, as Texas Secretary, from 1999 until early 2007. In 2006, towards the end of her tenure as Secretary, Keaton ran a failed governoral campaign as independence against former government Rick Perry, who called herself a “tough grandma.”
Keaton also served his fourth term as a Republican in the US House of Representatives 10th District in 1986 and as Mayor of Austin in 2009. He served a single term as a member of the Texas Railroad Commission in 1994.
“She filled the room and urged people to think about the future, but made a drop of hat laugh,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in an interview with the Austin American national state on Wednesday.
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