Kay Hagan

Kay Hagan was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from North Carolina from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the North Carolina Senate from 1999 to 2009. Hagan gained national prominence by defeating incumbent Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole in the 2008 election. Her single term was marked by her work on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and her advocacy for the Affordable Care Act.

Early life and education

Janet Kay Ruthven was born in Shelby, North Carolina, to Jeanette Chiles and Joe Ruthven. Her paternal uncle was Lawton Chiles, a former Governor of Florida and U.S. Senator. She attended St. Mary's School in Raleigh before earning a Bachelor of Arts in American studies from Florida State University. She subsequently received a Juris Doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was a member of the Wake Forest Law Review.

Early career

After law school, Hagan began her career as an attorney in the trust department at North Carolina National Bank, which later became part of Bank of America. She later worked as a vice president at the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Her political involvement began with volunteer work for Democratic campaigns, including those of Governor Jim Hunt and Lieutenant Governor Dennis Wicker. She was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 1998, representing Guilford County, where she focused on education and economic development legislation.

U.S. Senate career

Elected in the 2008 Democratic wave, Hagan was sworn into the 111th United States Congress. She served on several influential committees, including the Senate Armed Services Committee, the HELP Committee, and the Small Business Committee. A key supporter of the Affordable Care Act, she also worked on the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and legislation supporting military families, such as the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. She was known as a moderate Democrat, sometimes breaking with her party on issues like gun control and environmental regulation.

2014 re-election campaign

Hagan sought a second term in the 2014 election, facing North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis. The race, one of the most expensive Senate contests that cycle, was heavily influenced by national groups like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Senate Leadership Fund. Key issues included the Affordable Care Act, the economy, and Hagan's attendance record at Armed Services Committee hearings. Despite a strong challenge, she was narrowly defeated by Tillis in the general election.

Post-Senate career and death

After leaving the Senate, Hagan joined the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a senior advisor. In late 2016, she contracted Powassan virus disease from a tick bite, which led to a prolonged illness. She suffered from encephalitis and experienced significant physical and cognitive challenges. Kay Hagan died on October 28, 2019, at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina. She was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Her death was widely mourned by colleagues from both parties, including Richard Burr, Roy Cooper, and Mitch McConnell.

Category:1953 births Category:2019 deaths Category:United States senators from North Carolina