Louisiana’s only elected female governor, Kathleen Blanco, has passed away at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer. Blanco was a mother to six children and a former school teacher. It wasn’t until her early 40s that she got into politics when she was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1983.
“At the time when she got into politics was just fed up with the way politics was being conducted in Louisiana and wanted to change that,” said Bob Mann, her former communications director while she served as governor. “Wanted to bring more empathy, more compassion and more honest government.”
Blanco served five years in the House of Representatives and in 1988 the New Iberia native became the first woman elected to the Public Service Commission. In 2003, she defeated Republican Bobby Jindal to become the state’s first female governor. Mann says education was her top priority.
“Understand that children are our future and when she said that it wasn’t just a political line like a lot of politicians use, she really believed that children are our future and we needed to care for them better,” said Mann.
20 months into her administration the state was hit with two killer storms, Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Many people said Blanco was unprepared, indecisive and overwhelmed, but Mann says the criticism against the former governor has softened as time went on.
“Everything she did, she did out of love for the state, a respect for its people, a deep, strong profound desire to get this state back up on its feet and running again and she gave it her all to the very last minute she served as governor,” said Mann.
Blanco did not seek re-election in 2007. Ten years later, she announced that she had a rare cancer which eventually attacked her whole body. In public appearances leading up to her death, the former governor said she had made peace with her future and the devout Catholic said she had an extraordinarily full life. Mann says Blanco’s final weeks were inspiring.
“The people that loved her, she was going to show them how to die with faith and dignity and no fear and that was a great gift for everyone that was around her,” said Mann.
