Preceded by Timothy A. Barrow Alma mater Scripps College Spouse(s) Richard M. Hance | Political party Republican Succeeded by Terry Goddard Name Margaret Hance | |
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Born July 2, 1923
Spirit Lake, Iowa ( 1923-07-02 ) Died April 29, 1990(1990-04-29) (aged 66) | ||
Margaret Taylor Hance (July 2, 1923 – April 29, 1990) was the first female mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, taking office in 1976. She proved popular, winning four consecutive two-year terms, from 1976 to 1983.
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Biography
Hance (born Margaret Taylor) was born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, to Glen C. and Helen Kenny Taylor, the youngest of three children. She grew up active in athletics. She was a Girl Scout in Phoenix, AZ.
She earned a Bachelor's degree from Scripps College in Claremont, California, in 1945. Hance, then Taylor, married Richard M. Hance in 1945, and the couple had three children.
Mrs. Hance was the president of the Junior League of Phoenix, a volunteer organization for women who want to improve the community, from 1959-1960.
In 1967, Hance began producing documentaries for a local PBS affiliate. She decided to get involved in local politics after her husband died in 1970. Among her first significant public initiatives was creating the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, for which she was unofficially known as the "Mother of Mountain Preserve."
After retiring as mayor, Hance worked with the Reagan and Bush (I) administrations.
Hance died of cancer on April 29, 1990.