The Monuments Men and Women Foundation Mourns the Passing of Congresswoman Kay Granger

The Monuments Men and Women Foundation mourns the passing of Congresswoman Kay Granger, an extraordinary public servant, a trailblazing leader, and one of the Foundation’s earliest and most steadfast champions. She died on August 2 at the age of 83.

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Representative Kay Granger at a ceremony on June 6, 2007 to honor the Monuments Men and Women.

A former teacher and businesswoman, Kay Granger devoted much of her life to public service. In 1991, she became the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, serving the city for four years before beginning a nearly three-decade career in the United States House of Representatives. She became the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the House and, later, the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. Throughout her career, she remained deeply devoted to Fort Worth and North Texas while earning respect for her integrity, determination, and ability to quietly turn ambitious ideas into lasting accomplishments.

Her involvement with the Monuments Men and Women began before the Foundation formally existed. In 2006, Robert M. Edsel was seated near Congresswoman Granger at a dinner at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. After hearing him describe the little-known story of the Monuments Men and Women and his hope that their wartime service might one day receive the recognition it deserved, she approached him with a simple question: “How can I help?” As Robert recalled in his personal tribute, “That was the first time anyone had offered to help me on what has been a twenty-year journey. What made that moment unforgettable was that Kay meant it. She never wavered.”

Representative Kay Granger, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Robert Edsel present Monuments Man James Reeds with an American flag at a ceremony in the Russell Senate Office Building on June 6, 2007, on the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, to honor the Monuments Men and Women.

On June 6, 2007—the 63rd anniversary of D-Day—the founding of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation was formally announced at a ceremony in the United States Capitol hosted by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congresswoman Granger. Four Monuments Men—Horace Apgar, Harry Ettlinger, James Reeds, and Bernard Taper—attended, together with ambassadors and chargés d’affaires representing many of the nations whose cultural heritage these heroes had helped save. That same day, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed historic resolutions formally honoring the extraordinary wartime service of the Monuments Men and Women of all fourteen Allied nations. It marked a turning point in the public recognition of one of World War II’s most important yet overlooked legacies—and Congresswoman Granger helped make it possible.

Representative Granger looks on as Speaker of the House John Boehner signs the Monuments Men Recognition Act, a bill she sponsored.

It was the beginning of nearly two decades of friendship and support. Congresswoman Granger became the driving force behind the Foundation’s nine-year effort to secure the Congressional Gold Medal for the Monuments Men and Women of all fourteen Allied nations. She advocated for the legislation, built support among her colleagues, and helped guide the effort through Congress. Even as her responsibilities grew, she continued to make time for Robert, the Foundation, and the Monuments Men and Women whenever they visited Washington.

In 2015, after that long effort had finally succeeded, we gathered once more at the Kimbell Art Museum—the very place where her involvement had begun—to celebrate the Congressional Gold Medal and the heroes it honored. Congresswoman Granger arranged for the Medal to be displayed there so that the people of Fort Worth and North Texas could share in this national recognition. It was a fitting conclusion to a remarkable chapter: an idea first shared over dinner at the Kimbell had resulted in one of the highest honors Congress can bestow.

Kay Granger and Robert Edsel at the Kimbell Art Museum in 2015.

For all her historic accomplishments, Congresswoman Granger’s legacy at the Foundation will always be deeply personal. She believed in our mission before most people had heard of the Monuments Men and Women. More importantly, she acted on that belief. Her steadfast support helped ensure that their service received the national recognition it deserved and that their legacy would be preserved for generations to come.

We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, former colleagues, and the people of Fort Worth whom she served so faithfully. The Foundation will remember Congresswoman Kay Granger with profound gratitude, as a woman of integrity, a loyal friend, and an indispensable part of our history.