Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Louisiana’s first and only female governor who also led the state during Hurricane Katrina, died Sunday after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Blanco, 76, was a Democrat who served as governor from 2004 to 2008 in a term that was defined largely by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf coast, killing more than 1,000 people. The office of Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed her death Sunday, the Monroe News Star reported.
“She was a woman of abiding faith and unconditional love for her family, Louisiana and those she served,” Edwards said late Sunday alongside first lady Donna Edwards. “Louisiana has lost a champion. Donna and I have lost a friend.”
Blanco announced in December 2017 that she was suffering from ocular melanoma. She announced that the cancer was terminal a year later during a speech at the Council for a Better Louisiana. She entered hospice in April.
“There is no escape,” Blanco said at the time. “The monster is not far down the road.”
Blanco graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was a teacher after college before taking time off to be a full-time, stay-at-home mother to her six children and husband, “Coach” Raymond Blanco, to whom she was married for 54 years.
Blanco began her political career in 1983, when she was first elected to the State House. She served as lieutenant governor from 1996 to 2004 before being elected to lead the state. She was criticized during her time in office for what many considered to be an inadequate response to the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which struck in quick succession during August and September 2005.
Blaming President George W. Bush’s administration for not sending enough assistance, Blanco said she never received the necessary level of support from the federal government in the aftermath of the disaster.
“I wasn’t aware in those days that there was some intentional stalling going on in Washington,” Blanco said in a 2015 interview. “I felt like I had to ask more times than should have been necessary. [Looking back] I guess I would try to put more pressure on the feds to intensify the rescue efforts. I would do something different to get their attention.”
Blanco was a devout Catholic and in July, she noted that her life has been “charmed.”
“I do love all of the people of Louisiana,” she said during a ceremony in which a highway was named for her. “I ran to serve everyone. My life has been so charmed. God puts you where he wants you to be.”
