led in high school as Ann Willis, dropping her first name so she would sound less "country" to her big-city classmates. She did well in English and speech but less well in mathematics and other subjects that bored her. She was selected to represent her school at Girls State, a mock government session sponsored by the Women's Auxiliary of the American Legion, and she was then chosen to represent Texas at the national event in Washington, D.C. ("Richards, Ann" 468-469).
Ann's persuasive powers at this age showed a certain duality. On the one hand, her speaking ability served her well on the podium, while on the other, it was not always appreciated by her classmates. She graduated in 1950 and considered several debating scholarships from different colleges before deciding to attend Baylor University in Texas. She married David Richards in 1953, then completed her studies at Baylor and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin in 1954 to earn a teacher's certificate. Her husband went there to study law. Ann taught government and history in high school for three years. The family moved to Dallas in 1959, and Ann's husband served as a Democratic precinct chairman there. David Richards later served in Washington as part of the New Frontier as a staff lawyer for the Civil Rights Commission ("Richards, Ann" 469).
Local Democrats asked David to run for county commissioner in 1975, but he declined. They then turned to Ann, and she agreed. She has said this marked the turning point in he life. She thereafter subordinated her role as wife and mother to a public career, and she won the election in 1976 and became the first female commissioner in Travis County, with responsibility for road maintenance and the delivery of certain social services. In 1982 she was elected state treasurer, the first woman to hold statewide office in many years. Her record attracted the attention of national Democratic leaders by 1984, and she was...