A pioneering woman in Louisiana politics, former Gov. Kathleen Blanco died Sunday in hospice care in Lafayette. She was 76.
Even after Hurricane Katrina ended her political career and as cancer ate away her strength, former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco still described her life as “charmed.” With strength in her faith and her family, the state’s first elected female governor time and again refused to wallow in disappointment or disaster.
“She was a woman of grace, faith and hope. She has left an eternal mark on all who knew her, because she was generous and unconditional in her love, warm in her embrace and genuinely interested in the welfare of others,” Blanco’s family said in a statement issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office.A Democrat, Blanco held Louisiana’s top elected job from 2004-08, and served in state government offices for more than two decades.
“I just thought I could shout more loudly than the noise around me, but in the end I couldn’t. There was just too much pain,” she once said.Despite the criticism, Blanco called it an “honor and blessing” to lead Louisiana through Katrina and the follow-up blow of Hurricane Rita, which wrecked southwest Louisiana a month later.
Edwards, a Democrat mentored by Blanco, ordered flags at state buildings around Louisiana flown at half-staff through Blanco’s funeral, scheduled for Saturday. A public service for the former governor will be held Thursday at the Louisiana Capitol. A former high school business education teacher from the small Cajun village of Coteau, Blanco launched into politics as a consultant with her husband, Raymond, on local redistricting issues before going on to serve 24 years in elective office. Her first, in 1984, was a seat in the state House. Then came positions on the state utility regulatory commission and as lieutenant governor.
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