Norvell Kay Granger (née Mullendore; January 18, 1943 – August 2, 2026) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025. A Republican, Granger chaired the House Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024.
A onetime teacher and businesswoman, Granger served on the zoning commission of Fort Worth and on the Fort Worth City Council. She was elected as the first female mayor of Fort Worth in 1991 and served in that capacity until 1995. Granger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. She was the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Republican woman to chair the House Committee on Appropriations.
Granger did not seek reelection in 2024. Following several months of absence from the Capitol, she was confirmed in December 2024 to have been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024.
Granger was born Norvell Kay Mullendore in Greenville, Texas, on January 18, 1943. She graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1961 and from Texas Wesleyan University in 1965. Granger's mother was a teacher. Alliene Mullendore Elementary School in the Birdville School District is named in her mother's honor.
Before business and politics, Granger was a journalism and English teacher at Richland High School in the Birdville School District. Granger then became an insurance agent with her own business.
When the construction of a liquid waste disposal plant was proposed near her home, where she lived as a single mother to three children, Granger successfully spurred 40 people to show up at the City Council hearing to oppose the zoning change. Her position prevailed, leading to her appointment to the Fort Worth Zoning Commission. Granger briefly filed to run in the Democratic primary for the Texas State Senate, but withdrew and instead successfully ran for a seat on the Fort Worth City Council. She served on the zoning commission of Fort Worth from 1981 to 1989 and on the Fort Worth City Council from 1989 to 1991.
In 1991, Granger was elected as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, serving in that capacity until 1995.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Dallas on May 21, 1991, the same day that Granger was sworn in as Mayor of Fort Worth. Granger joined Dallas Mayor Annette Strauss at events welcoming the Queen and encouraged the Queen to visit Fort Worth on her next trip.
Granger was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1996. She was a Republican. After U.S. Representative Pete Geren announced he would retire in 1996, both the Democratic and Republican parties worked to recruit Granger to run for his seat. Granger represented Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025.
In 2020, Granger received the endorsement of President Donald Trump for her re-election campaign.
Granger was elected Conference Vice Chair, the fourth-ranking position among House Republicans, in 2006. She served as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations. She also sat on the United States House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Defense (she was the first woman to do so) and the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. Granger also served as a House Chief Deputy Whip.
Granger sponsored a bill to give the Congressional Gold Medal to the Monuments Men from World War II. These were individuals who worked to identify and preserve art and cultural artifacts from destruction during World War II. This bill became law and the Congressional Gold Medals were awarded to the living Monuments Men in October 2015.
Granger was a member of the House Appropriations Committee for 25 years. She served as the ranking member of the Committee. After the Republican Party gained a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 elections, she was named chair of the Committee in January 2023. Granger was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. She stepped down as the Appropriations Committee chair in April 2024.
After being diagnosed with COVID-19, Granger was not present at Trump's second impeachment on January 13, 2021. Despite being one of four Republicans who did not vote on the impeachment, Granger stated that she opposed Trump's impeachment.
On October 30, 2023, Granger confirmed that she would not run for re-election in 2024. On March 22, 2024, she announced that she would step down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee as soon as the Republican Steering Committee chose her replacement; the Steering Committee did so on April 10. Granger's last recorded vote was on July 24, 2024; she was then absent from the Capitol until she returned to Washington in mid-November 2024 for a ceremony celebrating her work on the House Appropriations Committee.
In December 2024, media reports confirmed that Granger had been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024; her son said she had "dementia issues". The incident sparked public backlash and renewed scrutiny of elderly politicians being allowed to serve in spite of advanced age and medical issues.
Republican Craig Goldman was elected to represent Texas's 12th congressional district on November 5, 2024.
The Washington Post described Granger as socially centrist, but fiscally conservative. In 2013, the National Journal, a nonpartisan organization, gave Granger a composite political ideology score of 73% conservative and 27% liberal. According to FiveThirtyEight, as of February 2020, she voted with President Trump's position on legislative issues about 97% of the time. By October 2021, she was recorded as having voted with President Biden's position on legislative issues about 11% of the time.