Kay Hagan | |
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United States Senator from North Carolina | |
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Elizabeth Dole |
Succeeded by | Thom Tillis |
Member of the North Carolina Senate | |
In office January 27, 1999 – January 3, 2009 | |
Preceded by | John Blust |
Succeeded by | Don Vaughan |
Constituency | 32nd district (1999–2003) 27th district (2003–2009) |
Personal details | |
Born | Janet Kay Ruthven May 26, 1953 Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |
Died | October 28, 2019 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 66)
Resting place | First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Charles T. Hagan III |
Relatives | Lawton Chiles (uncle) |
Education | Florida State University (BA) Wake Forest University (JD) |
Janet Kay Hagan[1] (née Ruthven; May 26, 1953 – October 28, 2019) was an American lawyer, banking executive, 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.[2] By defeating Republican Elizabeth Dole in the 2008 election, she became the first woman to defeat an incumbent woman in a U.S. Senate election. She ran for reelection in 2014 but lost to Republican Thom Tillis, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, in a close race.[3]
As of 2024, she is currently the last Democrat to have represented North Carolina in the U.S Senate.