26 Facts About Kathleen Blanco

Kathleen Marie Blanco was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Louisiana from January 2004 to January 2008.

When first elected, Blanco outlined her top priorities as providing affordable healthcare, improving the education system in the state, and helping to create a strong and vibrant economy through aggressive economic development initiatives.

Kathleen Blanco announced in March 2007 that she would not seek re-election later that year, saying that she would instead "focus [her] time and energy for the [remainder of her term] on the people's work, not on [the] politics" of running for another term.

Kathleen Blanco's Babineaux grandfather was a farmer and grocer with a country store, and her father was a small businessman who moved to the rural hamlet of Coteau, a community near New Iberia with one church and one elementary school.

Kathleen Blanco attended Mount Carmel Academy, an all-girls school run by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mount Carmel, which was situated on the banks of Bayou Teche.

In 1964, Kathleen Blanco received a Bachelor of Science in business education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Kathleen Blanco then worked for roughly fifteen years as a stay-at-home mom for her six children.

Kathleen Blanco later worked as a District Manager for the US Department of Commerce during the 1980 Census initiative and with her husband, owned Coteau Consultants, a political and marketing research firm.

Kathleen Blanco was then elected Lieutenant Governor, a post that she held for eight years.

Kathleen Blanco was elected on November 15,2003, defeating her Republican opponent Bobby Jindal in the general election, by a margin of 52 to 48 percent.

Kathleen Blanco named as the new state commissioner of administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc, who had succeeded her in the state House in 1989 when she became a public service commissioner.

Kathleen Blanco traveled more than her predecessor, seeking new sources of economic development for the state.

Kathleen Blanco visited Nova Scotia and in December 2004 visited Cuba to boost its trade with the state.

In 2005, Kathleen Blanco visited the Asian countries of Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Kathleen Blanco recruited a number of businesses to Louisiana and established policies to lay a foundation for the recovery of coastal Louisiana.

On September 1,2005, with reports of looting and lawlessness escalating, Kathleen Blanco announced she was sending 300 Louisiana National Guardsmen to supplement the New Orleans Police Department, saying,.

The President subsequently continued to press the offer, so Kathleen Blanco rejected it in writing, citing the need for flexibility in National Guard operations, particularly the need for the Guard in areas other than New Orleans where the military was not currently operating.

Kathleen Blanco continued to press President Bush and Congress for additional recovery funds for Louisiana, pointing out the disparity in assistance received by Louisiana compared to neighboring Mississippi.

Early in 2006, Kathleen Blanco was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

On June 19,2006, Kathleen Blanco announced that she would send the National Guard to patrol the streets of New Orleans after five teenagers were killed, in an effort to combat a greatly increased rate of violent crime.

Also on June 19,2006, Kathleen Blanco signed into law a ban on most forms of abortion once it passed the state legislature.

Legislators allied with Kathleen Blanco attempted to lift a spending cap imposed by the Constitution of Louisiana, but Republican lawmakers rejected the governor's spending measure.

Kathleen Blanco has publicly stated that Mississippi received preferential treatment because its governor, Haley Barbour, is Republican.

Kathleen Blanco announced on March 20,2007, that she would not seek re-election.

In December 2017, Kathleen Blanco experienced a recurrence with ocular melanoma metastatic to her liver.

Kathleen Blanco died on August 18,2019, at the St Joseph Hospice Carpenter House in Lafayette, Louisiana.