Galveston’s first female mayor devoted her life to helping community she loved
Jan Coggeshall, who served as Galveston’s first female mayor during the 1980s and remained active in the community, died at her home Monday after a battle with cancer. She was 81.
Coggeshall leaves behind a legacy as a civicminded leader who involved herself over decades in a myriad of city affairs, from the local library to historic preservation. She had personal integrity and resolve, those who knew her said.
The Galveston outsider arrived in 1971. She won a seat on the City Council in 1979 and was elected mayor five years later.
Not all smooth sailing
Over the years, Coggeshall celebrated a trolley project, dealt with Mardi Gras parade crowd control and — in a whimsical moment — welcomed a 22-pound lobster to town. She supported bans on surreys. And on pit bulls.
It wasn’t always smoothsailing: A resident published her number on pamphlets protesting the lack of public beachfront bathrooms. She watched federal plans falter for a local Navy base. Then Hurricane Jerry struck in 1989, killing several people.
In an 1985 interview with the Chronicle, she said she made an effort to lobby, set goals and improve economic development.
“There were two things I had to overcome: being an outsider and being a woman,” she said.
Coggeshall followed in the footsteps of mentors such as Ruth Levy Kempner, the first woman in the city elected to a governmental post. She chaired the National Conference of Women Mayors. As she held her post, both the mayors of Dallas and Houston were also women.
“She was a true icon,” Council member Carolyn Sunseri said. “She did lead the way for the rest of us to serve.”
Coggeshall resigned from her post as mayor in 1989 to make an unsuccessful run for Galveston County commissioner. Afterward, she continued to remain active in the community. The Galveston Historical Foundation awarded her the well-respected Steel Oleander award in 1995, which commemorates the service of women in the city.
“Jan was a stalwart supporter of all things Galveston,” Mayor James D. Yarbrough said in a prepared statement.
A list of every program with which Coggeshall involved herself would be a long one, said Roland Bassett, who worked with her on several. She had good ideas and the persistence to execute.
“Any program that she’s been involved with, she did great things,” Bassett said. “She was one of those people who carried it out.”
Helped foundation
The Rosenberg Library and Galveston College Foundation counted among the organizations that Coggeshall held dear. She contributed to both through this year.
In the early 1990s, Coggeshall helped to establish the College Foundation, which provides local high school graduates with scholarships. She stepped away as a board member in 2002, returning again in 2011 at Bassett’s request.
“She came back to the foundation when we really needed someone with her skills and commitment to it,” spokeswoman Maria Tripovich said. “She helped us find a way.”
For the library, Coggeshall served as trustee and president of the board of directors for many years, Executive Director John Augelli said. As president, she oversaw significant reconstruction of the facility.
“Jan was an extraordinary leader and advocate,” Augelli said.
Coggeshall remained active in civic life until her death, recently serving on the city ethics commission. Bassett imagined that yesterday or the day before she would have been looking at a list of city meetings to see which she wanted to attend. Her activism brought her into contact with many residents.
A few years ago, as Augelli recalled, he had lunch with Coggeshall at the popular restaurant Rudy and Paco. It felt like everyone who walked inside knew her.
“Everybody had to stop and say hello to Jan,” he said.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 24, at First Presbyterian Church in Galveston.