AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A pioneer in Austin and Texas politics - Carole Keeton Strayhorn - has died at the age of 85.
Strayhorn was born and raised in Austin, attending the University of Texas at Austin. She served as a trustee for Austin ISD before serving three terms as the city's mayor - becoming the first woman to hold the city's top elected office in 1977.
She died Wednesday at her home, surrounded by family members.
In 1983, she was appointed to the State Board of Insurance; in 1986, she mounted an unsuccessful challenge against Democratic congressman J.J. Pickle. She returned to state politics in 1994, winning election to the Texas Railroad Commission, then two terms as Texas Comptroller from 1999 to 2007.
During the 2006 election, she ran as an independent gubernatorial candidate against then-Gov. Rick Perry, referring to herself in campaign ads as "one tough grandma."
She mounted another campaign for Austin's mayor in 2009, coming in third behind Lee Leffingwell and Brewster McCracken.
Family members say a public memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.