Raymond Blanco Wife: Who Is Kathleen Blanco?

Kathleen Blanco was the wife of American academic administrator and football coach who served as the First Gentleman of Louisiana from 2004 to 2008, Raymond Blanco.

Kathleen Blanco, born Kathleen Marie Babineaux, was an American politician who served as the 54th Governor of Louisiana from January 2004 to January 2008.

She was a member of the Democratic Party, and to date, is only woman elected as the state’s governor.

A member of Kappa Delta sorority, Kathleen received a Bachelor of Science in business education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Kathleen and Raymond got married on August 8, 1964 and they had six children.

Prior to her election as governor, Kathleen served twenty years in public office.

She was elected Governor of Louisiana on November 15, 2003, defeating her Republican opponent Bobby Jindal in the general election, by a margin of 52 to 48 percent.

As governor, she was a member of the National Governors Association, and the Democratic Governors Association, and served as president of the Southern Governors’ Association.

She announced in March 2007 that she would not seek re-election.

Four years later, she was diagnosed with cancer, was treated and entered remission.

However, in December 2017, she experienced a recurrence with ocular melanoma metastatic to her liver.

She passed away on August 18, 2019, at the St. Joseph Hospice Carpenter House in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Her husband, Raymond Blanco died three years later, on Nov. 19, 2022.