Ann Richards was an American.
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards ( September 1 , 1933 -- September 13 , 2006 ) was an American politician and the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 . Ann Richards ( 13 December 1917 -- 25 August 2006 ) was an Australian actress and author , who achieved notability in a series of 1930s Australian films for Ken G. Hall as Shirley Ann Richards before moving to the United States , where she continued her career as a film actress , mainly as an MGM starlet . In the 1930s , she was the only Australian actor under a long-term contract to a film studio , Cinesound Productions . Ann Richards ( October 1 , 1935 -- April 1 , 1982 ) was an American jazz singer and the wife of pianist Stan Kenton . She was born Margaret Ann Borden on October 1 , 1935 in San Diego , California .