Kay Hagan
Kay Hagan | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2009 | |
| 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 (aged 66) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| 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 (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. 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 re-election in 2014 and lost to Republican Thom Tillis, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, in a close race. As of 2025, she is the last Democrat to represent North Carolina in the U.S Senate.